Friend
by TheBlackEwe
Summary: When a girl moves to Konoha with her family, joins a strange team of Genin, deals with weird clients, finds an insane cat, and develops a reluctant crush on one of her teammates, only adventure can follow. Continues to Shippuuden. SasukeXOC
1. Alarm Clocks, Onigiri and Fangirls

**My first Naruto fanfiction. :)**

**Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Alarm Clocks, Onigiri, and Fangirls

* * *

Konno Ami woke to the irritating beeping sound of an alarm clock going off. She groaned and rolled over, reaching out for the source of the noise with her hand, but missing and knocking over her lamp instead, which fell over and smacked her on the head, extracting a squawk.

"Oh, don't do this to me, please…" she mumbled sleepily, "It's too early for a concussion…"

The girl groaned and pushed herself up onto her knees to turn off the alarm, grumbling all the while, then staggered into the bathroom to perform her morning grooming rituals.

* * *

When she was finished, Ami knocked on the door of her younger sister's room.

"Aiko, it's time to get up." she called.

A sleepy moan answered her.

"Aiko."

"Alright, alright." the younger girl moaned, walking out and rubbing her eyes.

The girl looked down at her younger sibling in sisterly pride; long, brunette hair, emerald green eyes, a sweet little baby-face and looking so adorable in her light green pyjamas.

Aiko would be starting her first day at the academy today, and Ami had high hopes for her as a ninja.

"Go on," she said, "Brush your teeth."

"Mmm…" Aiko slurred, stumbling in much like she herself had.

The elder girl smiled. Her sister was even less of a morning person than she was.

* * *

Half and hour later, Ami looked at herself in the mirror. Staring back at her was a young girl with brown, shoulder-length hair, bright, blue eyes and a shy expression on her childish face. She wore a black, short-sleeved T-shirt and a blue skirt with a slit up each side that extended to just above her knees with black shorts underneath, along with blue shinobi sandals. She wore a blue knife holster on her right thigh, and a brown, leather bag hung on her left hip, her weapon pouch firmly attached to the back of her shorts.

Not liking the sight of shyness on her face, she tried a smile, a small one at first, then a normal one, then a big grin, before beginning to pull faces at herself. Ami laughed at her own childishness.

"Sis, how's this?" Aiko said from the other side of the door.

The brunette opened the door and let her sister in, studying her appearance, making sure that nothing she was wearing would interfere with her movement when training.

A white, short-sleeved T-shirt and dark green, baggy shorts. Her blue kunai holster was high enough on her thigh to get at easily, and her weapon pouch was firmly secured onto the back of her shorts.

Her clothes were fine, but there was one thing Ami disagreed with.

"Aiko, tie back your hair please."

Aiko made a face. "But I hate ponytails." she whined.

She thought a moment. "How about I put your hair in pigtails then?"

The younger girl grinned at that. "Yeah!"

Ami smiled. "Come here then."

Aiko trotted over and turned her back to her sister, who got a hairbrush off the shelf as well as two hair ties, and brushed the girl's hair through before splitting it in half and putting it up in two high pigtails.

"How's that?" she asked, smiling at Aiko as the two of them looked in the mirror, Ami's hands resting on her shoulders.

"Great!" the younger sister exclaimed in joy, turning around and hugging her sister around the waist, which was as high as she could reach.

Ami smiled. "I'm glad." she said, patting her sister's head.

The two sisters descended the stairs, Aiko challenging her older sister to a race as to who could reach the table first. Ami jogged lightly while Aiko sprinted to her full capacity.

"I WON!" the seven year-old exclaimed happily, and Ami praised her as she proceeded to perform a victory dance, which pretty much just involved waggling her backside quite a lot.

"What would you two like to eat?" a slight, grey-haired old woman with leafy green eyes sitting at the table in a light blue kimono asked.

"Morning, Grandma!" Ami said, "And don't worry, we'll sort it."

"Alright, but I made tea if you'd like some." The old woman smiled. "It's peppermint. I know you both love that one."

"Thanks, Grandma!" Aiko said, running up to hug her grandmother around the neck.

"You're welcome my dear." the old woman said, hugging her granddaughter back.

"Have you eaten, Grandma?" Ami asked.

"I had porridge. There's some left in the pot if you'd like it."

"I'll have the same then. What would you like, Aiko?"

"Porridge too!"

"Gotcha."

Ami took two bowls out of the cupboard and scooped some porridge into both of them with the ladle their grandmother had left in the pot. "Looking forward to your first day at the academy, Aiko?"

"Yeah! I bet it's going to be awesome!" the green-eyed child yelled, punching the air in excitement.

"I'm sure it'll be good." Ami said, smiling at her sister's eagerness.

* * *

The two ate their breakfast as they discussed what they thought the day would be like, every now and then their grandmother throwing in her two cents worth. The two girls finished their breakfast and Ami made each of their lunches out of onigiri and leftovers while Aiko washed the dishes from their meals. Both girls said goodbye to their grandmother and left for the academy.

* * *

"You sure you're all set?" Ami asked her younger sister just before they entered the gates.

"Definitely!"

"Let's go then!"

Ami brought her sister to the teacher for her group. She told Aiko to meet her at the entrance when academy was over, then left to find her own class.

* * *

"Everyone!" The teacher, Umino Iruka had just walked in, wearing his familiar ninja uniform of blue trousers, a green Chuunin vest and blue sandals. His dark eyes twinkled in happiness as he greeted the class. "We have a new student today. This is Konno Ami. Please be nice to her." He glanced around the room as he tucked a stray strand of dark brown hair from his ponytail behind his ear, then smiled, the scar across the bridge of his nose carved deep into his tanned skin twitching slightly at the action. He gestured to the seat between two boys named Naruto and Sasuke. "You can sit there, Ami."

"Okay." she said, trotting up to her designated seat, as Iruka turned around and began to write on the board, but she fell halfway up the steps from being tripped by a boy with short, messy, brown hair and red triangle tattoos on his cheeks. Ami pushed herself up and glared at the boy, who simply grinned at her. She noticed that there was something feral about the boy, and his sharp canines and strange eyes further accentuated this. A small, white dog with brown ears then jumped up on top of his head and barked. She was curious as to why he was allowed to have a dog in class with him, but she decided against asking. All she really cared about was the fact that he had tripped her for no reason. "Jerk." she hissed, just loud enough for him to hear, before punching him hard in the thigh, achieving a stifled squeak from the boy, as well as a satisfying wince of pain.

The girl heard a snicker and she looked up at the boy it came from.

He was tanned with blond, spiky hair, bright, azure eyes and donned in a neon orange jumpsuit. A pair of green goggles sat perched on his head, and three identical, whisker-like scars traced both of his cheeks. The blond grinned at her and she grinned back, before noticing the empty seat beside him and remembering that it was where she was meant to be sitting.

She hopped up and dashed to the seat, sliding behind him to get to the centre of the bench before the teacher spotted her lingering.

"What's your name?" she asked the blond boy beside her.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he said, grinning, "Konno Ami, right?"

"Yup!" the girl grinned. Looked like she'd made her first friend.

"New kid,"

The newcomer looked round to see the other boy at the bench. He was pale with an attractive, albeit feminine-looking face, dark eyes and raven hair with bangs that hung on either side of his face and spiked up at the back. He was wearing a blue, high-collared T-shirt with a red and white fan symbol on the back, white shorts, white arm sleeves and the standard shinobi sandals. He had an unpleasant, hostile air that hung around him like a black rain cloud and she couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable.

He continued to speak.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke."

The brunette nodded, smiling, and extended a hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you Sasuke." she said, trying to be friendly despite the antagonistic air around the boy.

She recoiled slightly and retracted her hand when he glared at her.

"I have no interest in you. So just leave me alone," he growled. "I have enough troubles as is. That is all I have to say." With that said, he turned away from her to go back to facing dead ahead at the teacher.

Ami stared at the raven a moment before giving Naruto a confused look.

The blond simply shrugged, pulling a face. "He's an ass."

'What the hell?' was all she could think. Ami briefly turned back to Sasuke and said in a whisper; "If that's what you want, then fine, whatever. You seem like a nasty bastard anyway."

The raven turned around to stare at her, surprised at the offended brunette. No girl had ever talked to him like that before.

Ami pulled a face at him and turned away to talk to Naruto. She ignored him for the rest of the class.

'Maybe she isn't going to be another fangirl.' he thought.

* * *

At lunch break, Naruto and Ami sat outside by the swing set. It was a sunny, clear-skied day, and Naruto had taken off his orange jacket and tied it around his waist in an effort to cool down.

"Aren't you going to eat?" the boy asked as he slurped his noodles greedily.

The girl shook her head.

"You on a diet or something?" said a deep voice behind her.

Ami turned her head and immediately recognised the black-haired boy from earlier. "I'm not eating because I forgot to bring my lunch with me this morning." she growled.

It was true; She had been fussing so much over Aiko and making sure that she was alright that she had seemingly managed to forget her own lunchbox.

"That was stupid." Sasuke said bluntly.

"Really?" the brunette said sarcastically, glaring at the boy.

"…Doesn't your mother take care of you?" he asked.

"...She passed away." Ami frowned, glaring at Sasuke, and Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, dropping a noodle. Sasuke's eyebrows rose slightly, but the rest of his face remained motionless.

"...And your father?"

"The same. My little sister and I live with our grandmother."

"How did they die?" Naruto asked tentatively.

Ami scowled at the Uchiha as she explained.

"My Dad died when I was five. He was a ninja and got killed by an enemy in the Third Great Ninja War. My Mom died a few months later giving birth to my sister. Any more questions?"

Sasuke made no reply. He simply turned around and left.

"He is such an ass!" Ami sighed, lying back against the tree. "What's his problem anyway? Stuck up priss."

The whiskered boy beside her just frowned.

There was a moment of silence.

Ami's stomach growled and she blushed.

"Sorry." she mumbled in an embarrassed voice. A slight smile twitched at the corner of Naruto's mouth at the sight of the girl's expression.

Her stomach growled again, this time louder.

"Sorry!" the brunette squeaked, covering her face in her hands as her blush deepened. This time Naruto laughed and she peeked nervously through her fingers at him.

Ami was quiet a moment. "Wanna come over to my house after school?" she asked.

Naruto looked up in surprise. He'd never been asked over to someone's house before. He studied the girl's face, looking for any sign to show that she was joking. He found none. She seemed just as eager for him to come as he was to go.

He grinned. "Yeah!"

"Cool!" she laughed, just before she felt tap on her shoulder. She turned around to meet a large group of very angry-looking girls.

"You were just talking to Sasuke-kun, weren't you?" one of the girls growled. She had green eyes… bubblegum pink hair? Ami stared at the strange colour a moment, until the rosette's angry voice called her out of her trance. "Answer!" She also noticed that her forehead was just a bit too big. She was wearing a red blouse, green leggings and blue sandals.

"Yeah." the brunette said, "Why?"

A second girl in the group spoke. "Stay away from our Sasuke-kun!" she barked, prodding the new kid in the chest. She had long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, blue eyes and a sleeveless purple belly top with a purple skirt with slits up each side. Wrapping covered her skin under the skirt and her waist.

"Your 'Sasuke-kun'?" Ami questioned in disbelief.

"Yes, our Sasuke-kun." the blonde repeated.

"…He's not a dog, you know."

"Stay away from him!" the rosette snarled, "Just because you're new, it doesn't mean you're all that interesting! Sasuke doesn't give a damn about you!" The other girls agreed with mixtures of; 'Yeah!', 'Stay away!' and even one; 'He's ours bitch!'.

Ami stared at them in disbelief. Were these Sasuke's 'troubles'? She felt extremely offended. Sasuke had actually thought that she might be like these fangirls?

"Whoa, whoa," she said, raising her hands in defence, "I don't even like the guy! So relax, I'm not going to steal him away from you or anything!"

The brunette had hoped that this would cause them to deem her as non-threatening and leave her alone, but it had exactly the opposite effect. The girls' mouths fell open and they stared at her wide-eyed, before erupting in screeches of fury and indignation.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!"

"WHAAAAT!"

"YOU BITCH!"

Ami groaned. Of course, how dare she blaspheme the almighty Uchiha Sasuke?

"SASUKE IS AWSOME!"

"HE'S SO COOL!"

"HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE HIM!"

"UCHIHA SASUKE IS NOTHING SPECIAL!" Ami screamed back, silencing the loud girls. Every single one of the other children in the yard looked up at the sound of the Konno shouting, including the Uchiha himself. "I HAVEN'T EVEN KNOWN HIM FOR A FULL DAY AND ALREADY I CAN TELL THAT HE'S COLD, GROUCHY, AND MEAN!"

Everybody stared in awe of the new girl, yelling at the entire Uchiha Sasuke fan club.

Said boy himself was stunned. Never once in his entire life had he met a girl who hated, or even disliked him. Sure, there had been girls who liked other guys, but there had never been one that actually _detested_ him.

"NOW GET LOST BEFORE I KICK YOUR HEADS IN!" Ami yelled, turning and driving her foot into the tree behind her, Naruto flinching as she splintered the bark and caused a slight cracking noise in the wood.

The fan club dispersed immediately and fled. The girl sat down on the ground beside Naruto, crossing her legs and arms, as many of the people around them applauded her reproach of the fangirls.

"New kid or not, there's _no way_ they're picking on me." she muttered.

Sasuke stared at the new girl a moment, then turned away with an unconcerned grunt. '...Weirdo.'

* * *

The chatter of the classroom filled Ami and Naruto's ears as they entered the class. Ami glanced over to their seats and saw them occupied by two of Sasuke's fangirls, who were blathering to him as he ignored them totally. She motioned for Naruto to follow her and she walked over to the bench, poking one of the fangirls in the back. The girl scowled as she turned around, aggravated about being interrupted from her fruitless flirting, then paled when she saw the Konno. She pulled her friend's sleeve and the two left without a word. Ami and Naruto sat down and the blond snickered when her stomach growled again.

"Shut up." she muttered, a pink tinge just visible on her cheeks.

"Here."

Ami looked around, surprised to see that Sasuke was handing her an apple, and not even looking her way.

"Why are you giving me food?" she asked.

"Your stomach will keep making noise and dobe over there will be laughing all through class. It'll be distracting." he said, not looking at her.

"What'd you call me, teme!" Naruto yelled, but Sasuke simply ignored him.

The girl was silent a moment, then took the apple. "Thanks." she said quietly before taking a bite.

"Hn." was the reply.

Ami swallowed and stared at him. "What was that?" she asked.

"Hn."

"…What?"

"Hn."

"What the hell does 'Hn' mean?"

"Hn."

"Stop grunting at me."

"Hn."

"…'Hn' yourself."

"Hn."

"Hn."

"Hn."

"_Hn._"

"Hn."

"_Hn!_"

"Hn."

"…creep." Ami muttered. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Sasuke smirk, but as soon as she tried to check, it was gone, and he was back to his usual stoic expression.

Just then Iruka walked in. Ami finished the apple quickly to avoid being caught eating in class, then threw the core at the boy on the right of the row in front of them. It splattered against the back of his head. It was the same boy who had tripped her. 'Kiba', she later found out, was his name. Said boy turned around and scowled at her, while the girl simply pointed at Sasuke as if to say; 'He did it.'

Naruto snickered and once again, out of the corner of her eye, Ami could swear she had seen the Uchiha roll his eyes and smirk slightly.

"Class, we will be going outside to spar now." Iruka said. "Please follow me, but first of all, each of you please write your name on a piece of paper and place it in this bag."

Each of the children did as they were told.

* * *

The names were mixed up in the bag, and once they were outside, and Iruka picked out the first one.

"Naruto." he said. "Come up here."

Ami, pushed the orange-garbed blond towards him, "Go on, Naruto!" she cheered. "Go get them!"

The boy ran forward, laughing in excitement, and Iruka buried his hand in the sack, pulling out a slip.

"…Kiba!" Iruka called, and said boy trotted forward.

"Go Naruto!" Ami yelled. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked round to see Sasuke beside her. "Yeah?" she questioned.

He motioned for her to follow him and she did. They sat down on the bench. Silence followed. Ami was waiting for Sasuke to speak, but after she had decided that he wasn't going to talk, she decided to speak instead.

"Is there a reason as to why you wanted me to sit here?" she asked.

"Hn."

"…Alright, if you're not going to answer me, then I'm leaving."

Ami stood up and went to leave, but Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"Please don't." he said quietly.

"Okay, why?"

Sasuke was still a moment, then slowly released her hand and pointed behind them.

Ami looked and saw a group of girls glaring at her as they sat on a bench like a pack of wolves lying in wait.

"Your troubles." She nodded in understanding, before a sly grin spread across her face. "Why should I help you though? What's in it for me? What's to stop me from simply handing you over to them?"

Sasuke glared at her, but Ami kept her smirk strong, and looked back calmly.

"…What do you want from me?" he asked tentatively.

She gave him a sly smile. "Here's the deal; I hang around with you and keep your fangirls away, and in return, you help me out with fixing up my house a bit. It's a little run down. Fix a few floors, replace a few windows, and you're done. It'll take a week at most. And in return, I'll be your insect repellent."

"…Fine." Sasuke scowled.

Ami grinned triumphantly.

The loud voice of a certain blond and teacher interrupted them.

"_Fuck you, dog-breath!_"

"_Naruto! You lost the match, now go sit down!_"

"You did your best." Ami shrugged, as Naruto trotted over to them.

"Why are you with _him_?" he asked curiously.

"I'm in a win-win situation with this guy." Ami grinned, jabbing a thumb at the raven beside her, "Not only do I get to scream at those agitating she-wolves that stalk him everywhere, he's going to help me with housework for doing it!"

Naruto snorted. "Does he get his own apron?"

"Ami and Sasuke!" Iruka called. "Come up here you two. It's your turn."

The two each made their way to their individual places on the yard, then turned and bowed to each other.

"Kick his ass, Ami!" Naruto yelled, as the fan club cheered Sasuke's name.

The girl shifted into a fighting stance, Sasuke doing the same.

Iruka blew a whistle and the two ran at each other, the other children all cheering support for one or the other, or those who didn't really want to pick sides simply chanting a steady chorus of; 'FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!'

Sasuke reached into his weapons pouch for a shuriken, with Ami doing the same. Both weapons were flicked at the other to deflect the opponent's projectile. Sasuke aimed a kick at the girl's legs to try and sweep them out from under her, but Ami jumped and aimed a punch at Sasuke's head, which he blocked with his arm. She jumped back a few steps then reached into her pouch, before rushing at him again, this time with a kunai in her hand. Sasuke fished one out for himself and it met Ami's, blocking her again.

This situation continued for the next few minutes, and Sasuke's lips were slowly curving into a smirk as he watched his opponent steadily getting more and more frustrated.

Suddenly, Ami took two fingers and jabbed them into the hollow in Sasuke's neck, and he gagged at the unexpected attack to such a vulnerable area.

"_Ami!_" Iruka cried, "_Go easy!_"

The brunette turned to look at her sensei as soon as he called her name.

Big mistake.

On the ground in front of her, Sasuke clutched his throat and coughed. He scowled up at the girl and lurched at her, just as she began turning back, punching her in the head.

Ami staggered back, holding her face.

Sasuke smirked in satisfaction.

"_Sasuke!_" Iruka cried.

Ami released her face to reveal a bloodied nose, tears welling up in her eyes. She made several hand signs, then reached down to her left hip to flick open the leather pouch hanging there with her left hand, the right pulling out a long strand of water and flicking it towards Sasuke's face. The cord sliced through a few strands of black hair as the boy just about managed to dodge.

Sasuke clasped his hands together and also began making hand signs, before closing his hands together in what Ami knew was a fire seal.

He exhaled a large ball of flame at Ami and she extinguished it with a burst of water, before aiming for Sasuke with another pulse of aqua.

Just then, Iruka stepped in and grabbed Ami by the scruff of her collar, then Sasuke by his, and dragged the two over to the sidelines, 'boo's and complaints flowing from the audience, the liquid Ami had been using dropping to the ground, splattering a few of Sasuke's fans.

"Sit there, talk to each other, and sort out your differences in a civil fashion!" he said sternly, before walking off and picking out two more names. "Ino! Midori!" he barked, and the pair of girls, one of which Ami recognised as the blonde Sasuke fangirl from earlier, the other a red-haired girl in a white T-shirt and yellow skirt, whom she also recognised from the crowd, hopped up quickly, neither wanting to further anger their already-frustrated sensei.

Ami watched in mild curiosity at the two girls starting to spar, before turning her attention back to the fuming Uchiha beside her, glaring at the ground. She watched him a moment, but he said nothing, and so she sighed and began speaking.

"Sorry I jabbed you in the neck." she said sincerely. "It was crude and unnecessary. I was wrong."

The raven's scowl darkened at the sound of her voice.

"You're a good fighter and I have a short temper," she said, "I got too competitive. Please forgive me."

Sasuke continued to ignore her and Ami began to get irritated.

"Are you just going to ignore me?"

He continued doing exactly that and Ami was getting angrier by the minute. He was giving her the silent treatment and dammit, it was working.

"You were in the wrong too, you know. You didn't have to lower yourself to my level." she said, her voice slightly louder and much less sincere. "Look at my face, Sasuke."

His expression softened slightly at that, as did her voice.

"…Look at my face."

Sasuke slowly lifted his eyes to gaze at Ami. Dried blood was caked on her upper lip and a dark bruise was slowly forming under her eye.

His brow furrowed and he grunted softly.

Ami gave him a small smile, taking it as an apology. "It's alright. I forgive you. You forgive me?"

"Hn."

"That a yes?" Ami asked.

Sasuke nodded, smirking. Ami smirked back.

"…Sasuke," Ami said, "look at my hand."

The raven stared at her in confusion, then looked down at the aforementioned appendage.

A small orb of water was glistening in her palm, floating just a couple of inches above her skin. He gazed at it in wonder, the clear liquid rippling and waving, the bright sunlight glinting off it causing it to glimmer and shine. It looked beautiful.

Suddenly the water shot straight at Sasuke, soaking his face and hair. He blinked in surprise, then yelled angrily; "What the hell was that for!"

Ami laughed. "If I have to have a bloody face then you can at least be wet."

Sasuke scowled at her, but the girl just continued to laugh, and eventually he gave up on trying to intimidate her. The two proceeded to get on relatively well for the rest of the day.

* * *

Naruto and Ami were waiting outside the academy for Aiko, talking all the while.

"So what's your sister like?" Naruto asked.

"Well..." Ami said, "She's really sweet and a bit more energetic."

"Big sis!" Aiko yelled, dashing over on short, little legs to her older sibling.

"Hi, Aiko." Ami said, crouching down to hug her sister. "How was your first day?"

"It was great!"

"That's good."

"How was your day, sis?" Aiko asked.

Ami thought about it.

"I got tripped by a guy and I punched him, I met Naruto here, I met an asshole called Sasuke, screamed at the fan club of said asshole, then fought the asshole, jabbed him in the neck, and he punched me in the face. Then we made up and now he's helping us with the inn's DIY as long as I keep his fangirls at bay."

"Sis, your face is bruised!" Aiko cried.

"Yeah, he did that. It's fine though. We've already got stuff that helps with bruising. It'll be gone in a couple of days."

"Alright..." the young girl said uncertainly.

Ami was quiet for a moment.

"We should probably give Sasuke some ointment too." she said guiltily, "I dug my fingers into his neck pretty hard."

Aiko nodded while Naruto folded his arms and frowned.

"Why should you be nice to that teme?" he moaned.

"Because that 'teme' is a vindictive teme, and I have to treat him with some level of respect if I want to avoid it coming back and biting me in the ass."

Naruto unfolded his arms and stuck his hands in his pockets, frowning in reluctant agreement.

"Ready to go home then Aiko?"

"Yep!"

"Naruto, you coming?"

"Wha-? Oh! Yeah!" Naruto said, suddenly remembering the agreement that he and Ami had made.

"Great! Let's go!" Ami said happily. "I bet Grandma will love you!"

* * *

**A kind reviewer (Eternal Eden) has brought to my attention a small blunder I have made; Starting age for the academy is seven to eight years of age, not five. I have since edited this. :)  
**


	2. Inns, Staring and Dumplings

**Yay! Second Chapter's up! I wasn't completely satisfied with this. :/**

**Still though, it sat on my computer for the last few days, bits and pieces being edited each day, and I think it's alright now. :)**

**Next update will be soon! :)**

******I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Inns, Staring and Dumplings

* * *

Aiko, Ami and Naruto were laughing as they made their way to the Konno residence, Naruto doing impressions of Sasuke's grunting that were surprisingly accurate, and explaining the day's events to Aiko, who laughed all the time he was doing it.

Ami and Aiko turned up a flight of stone steps and Naruto stared at them a little before following.

"You guys live up here?" he asked. "But these stairs are long!"

"Yeah, they're a pain, alright." Ami frowned.

"Good exercise though, at least." Aiko chirped.

"Too much exercise..." Naruto mumbled, looking up to see just how far they went and seeing about a hundred steps more, but on the bright side there was a flat level every ten or so and hand railing to help along those who were particularly unfit, or those who just hated long stairs.

* * *

They eventually made it to the top, Naruto groaning about the walk, and a tall building towered over them.

"We're here, Naruto." Ami said, pointing to the building in front of them.

Naruto gaped. It was a huge structure with three stories and balconies on the second and third floors. Both the large canopy over the entrance and the top of the building had a traditionally styled roof and several more buildings could be seen beside and poking out from behind the edifice in front of them, some bigger, some smaller, some having arches and bridges between them, some with walkways, some up and down other flights of stairs. A wide river flowed behind the group of structures and copses of oak, pine, cypress, cedar, sakura and maple trees surrounded the walls, the ones that shed their leaves in a wide array of yellows, browns and oranges in the autumn season, their half-naked branches climbing high up into the clear, blue sky. He could see that parts of the buildings were a little run-down, and there were bits of garden that were a bit on the wild side, weeds and bushes beginning to move in, but the sight was impressive nonetheless.

It was a Ryokan.

"This... isn't a house..." Naruto mumbled.

Ami smiled. "You're right. It's an inn actually. Grandma used to run it, but she closed down when our parents passed away and she moved to take care of Aiko and I. We're planning to try and get it up and running again, but it'll take a bit of time as we still have some things to fix up and money's a little slow, still though, we'll manage." She turned towards him. "Naruto, welcome to Keijousai House."

The two girls walked to the entrance underneath the canopy, whilst Naruto continued to stand there, stunned, until Ami called and snapped him out of his trance.

"Naruto, come on." she laughed, amused at the shocked look on his face.

The Uzumaki, looked at her, took one last gawk, then trotted to the door. He looked at the small, wooden plaque to the left of the door, reading the name of the house written on it. He recognized the characters to mean; 'Strong Fort.'

"Grandma!" Aiko called, "We're back!"

An elderly woman with long grey hair down her back and green eyes walked through a door to their left. "Hello." she said happily, nodding towards the girls.

Aiko ran up and squeezed her around the waist.

'That girl has a weird habit of hugging people all the time.' Naruto thought, then realised that the grandmother was looking at him.

"Oh, who's this?" the old woman questioned, smiling as she turned her eyes on Naruto.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto, Grandma." Ami said.

Naruto grinned. "Hiya, Obaa-san!" he waved.

"Hello. It's very nice to meet you." the old woman, Konno Hamako, said pleasantly. She looked the boy over, taking in the bright clothes on his body and even brighter smile on his face.

"Hey, Naruto, what are those whisker marks on your face?" Aiko asked, tugging on he boy's trouser leg.

"Sorry," the boy said, shaking his head, "I don't know either. I've had them as long as I can remember, though."

"Are they a birthmark?" Aiko asked.

"Odd birthmark." the grandmother mumbled.

"But Ami has a weird birthmark too, remember?" Aiko piped up, and Naruto saw Ami's face suddenly go very red. "Remember? She has-"

"_Aiko!_"Ami squealed suddenly, clasping a hand over her sister's mouth. "Shut up, please!"

Aiko's eyes turned up and even with Ami's hand on her mouth, you could clearly tell that she had a wide grin on her face.

"Can I see it?" Naruto asked.

"_No!_" Ami shrieked.

Aiko laughed and winked at Ami who continued to blush.

"Now, now, Aiko." Hamako said, "Don't embarrass your sister."

She turned her attention back to Naruto, who was absorbed in watching the two girls, Aiko poking her sister in the arm and teasing her about her red face, Ami pouting in chagrin, oblivious to the old woman's stare.

'That boy... he's about the right age for it to be possible...' she thought, 'The attack was twelve years ago, and those markings...'

Naruto pulled at Ami's arm and she looked at him.

"Can we look around the inn?" he asked, "I wanna explore this place! It's big!"

Ami grinned, clearly thankful at the change of subject. "Sure! Let's go! See ya, Grandma!" she waved back as the three of them darted out of the room, Aiko's short little legs causing her to bring up the rear as the other two ran on ahead.

"Have fun." The old woman waved, smiling, but her face fell serious once they could no longer see. 'We've only just met the boy... and he seems nice.' she thought, 'The girls certainly like him... I guess I'll leave it for now. I know nothing for definite as of yet.' Hamako frowned. 'I hope nothing happens.'

* * *

Naruto had had fun at the Konno household. He and Ami had played around for a while, then she gave him a small tour of the house, the building they were in first. It was fairly large with three floors and six big rooms, which were more like apartments, on each floor, a large garden and natural spring baths outside. Not all of the buildings were accessible as the bridges and walkways to them were beginning to break down and the rotting wood was unsafe to walk on, however, Naruto still got to see a lot of the inn, and made a mental note to never wander off by himself for fear of getting lost or walking along and falling through one of the dangerous routes. She showed him that in the garden she, Aiko and Grandma had recently planted medicinal herbs. Naruto learned that Ami's grandmother had used to be a medical ninja, and while they didn't know much, she and Aiko could still perform some first aid and make some basic medicines having been taught by her. Near the back of the Ryokan were part of the mountains around Konoha, and the three young academy students enjoyed climbing up the side of the rocks in a race to the top, which Naruto won. It was two and a half hours before Naruto had finally seen all of the inn and its grounds that were currently reachable, and they were hungry from the meandering walk around corridors, across bridges and up and down stairs. Aiko ate noodles for her dinner, and although Grandma had offered to do it for them, Ami and Naruto had tried to make their own food for fun, which had turned out absolutely brutal as neither of them were any good at cooking. Naruto only ever ate things like instant ramen and Ami usually reheated whatever things that their grandmother had cooked. And so, after this failure, they decided to pay a visit to Naruto's favourite restaurant, Ichiraku, for ramen.

* * *

"Oji-San!" Naruto called as he and Ami lifted the white and red banner with the name of the shop written on it over their heads to enter the shop.

Ami looked at the two workers behind the counter. There was an old man with dark skin and a pretty young woman with long, brunette hair and dark eyes. They both wore white uniforms, the only difference being that the man had a hat and the girl had a bandana.

"Hello Naruto!" the man greeted. "What'll it be?"

'Naruto must come here often if he's known by first name.' Ami thought.

"Miso ramen, please!" the boy yelled happily, taking a seat at the bar.

"I'll have the same, please." Ami said, sitting beside him.

Two steaming bowls of ramen were placed in from of them both, and Naruto instantly released a cry of "Itadakimasu!" and broke his chopsticks apart, before beginning to slurp up his noodles like a vacuum.

As the two of them ate, Ami watched in wonder at how quickly the blond devoured the contents of the bowl in front of him, making a mental note to never offer to treat him to the food as he easily finished four bowls whilst she ate through her one.

"You like ramen a lot, don't you?" Ami asked.

"Mmmph!" Naruto replied smiling, his mouth full of noodles, before swallowing. "It's my favourite!"

"Naruto-kun is our best customer." the girl who worked at the shop said smiling. "I haven't seen you before, though. What's your name?"

"Konno Ami. I just moved up here from a village in the Southern end of the country."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ayame." the girl smiled.

"Nice to meet you too. Judging by how much Naruto likes your ramen, we'll probably be seeing a lot more of each other."

Ayame smiled. "Naruto-kun comes here pretty much every day."

Naruto grinned. "Sometimes, Iruka-sensei treats me!" he laughed.

Ami gazed at the stack of empty bowls beside the blond. 'That poor man.' she thought.

"Ooh!" Naruto yelled suddenly, "We should go find our maid!"

"Oh yeah." Ami said, suddenly remembering her pact with the Uchiha, "Where does Sasuke live?"

"I'll show you!" Naruto yelled. He opened his wallet, which was shaped like a green frog, and paid for his ramen. Ami did the same.

Just as she was closing her purse, she heard Naruto yelling and looked over to see him jumping up and down, waving his arms as he shouted at somebody walking on the other side of the street.

"Hey! Sasuke!"

Ami looked and it was indeed Sasuke, a pair of fangirls orbiting him like squealing satellites as they babbled out nonsense he was clearly not listening to if the dull expression on his face was anything to go by. Ami was surprised that he hadn't punched one of them by now. She would have. He was cringing at Naruto's behaviour as he ran up to him, still being loud. The fan girls scowled at Naruto as if he was something highly unpleasant that had just decided that they were best friends, like a smelly dog that wouldn't leave you alone, or perhaps even more horrible, a fan girl. She decided to free Sasuke from Naruto and his irritating 'troubles' and called to him herself as she walked across the street towards them. Naruto's voice subsided.

"Sasuke!"

The boy looked at her, slight relief showing on his face at the fact that Naruto had shut up and that the irritants were leaving, glowering back at Ami as they went.

"I feel like some sort of insect repellent." she grinned.

"I wish you did come in a can." Sasuke grumbled.

Ami snickered and began walking towards the inn. "Come on. Let's go to my house."

* * *

Sasuke nodded wordlessly and Naruto followed, running up to beside Ami and giggling in her ear; "So what should we have him do?"

Ami's brow furrowed in thought. "I dunno... fix the rotten floors with us?"

Naruto frowned. "That's boring."

"Okay." Ami said, before turning her attention back to the Uchiha walking a few steps behind them staring, well actually, it was more like glaring, at the ground in front of him. "Sasuke."

The boy looked up.

"Naruto wants you to sellotape your eyelids to his."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Why would I want that!" Naruto screeched. "Stop being stupid!"

"That's your job, is it?" Sasuke piped up.

Naruto growled. "Shut up!"

"Hn."

"'HN', YOURSELF, TEME!"

* * *

The trio climbed the stairs again, Sasuke, like Naruto, hesitating before continuing to progress, and they soon came to a halt outside the house.

"This is it." Ami said.

"You live here?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"It's big."

"Yep. Come on in."

They pulled open the door and walked in, and they were instantly ambushed by Aiko, who ran up and practically leapt onto Ami, 'yay'ing in delight.

"You're back with Naruto!" she squealed happily. Aiko had turned out to like him just as much as she had. Aiko's eyes fell on the fed-up-looking Sasuke. "Who's this?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." Ami said smiling, as Sasuke chose to remain taciturn. "He's gonna help us with repairs."

Naruto frowned at the boring request.

The little girl stared at Sasuke with big, green eyes for several seconds. "I'm sorry my sister hurt your neck." she said, letting go of Ami and bowing to the Uchiha.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Uchiha Sasuke, is it?" Grandma walked in and smiled at the raven-haired boy, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Sasuke bowed politely in return. "Pleasure."

'Goodness, Ami.' Hamako thought, eyeing the crest on the back of the raven's shirt, 'You would just have to decide to pick out the strangest friends, wouldn't you? A boy who may well be a container, and the last of the Uchiha clan.'

* * *

Naruto, Ami and Sasuke knelt on the floor of one of the walkways, ripping up old floorboards and replacing them with new planks. Ami had learned that Naruto was quite accident-prone. Not only had he already put his foot through a rotten section of floor, but he had also managed to hammer his thumb twice within the first ten minutes. He refused to give up, though, muttering something about not letting Sasuke beat him. So far, they had been working for almost two hours.

Aiko sat beside Ami, handing her nails as needed and curiously watching the Uchiha. 'He's much nicer than Ami described him as being.' she thought, 'I wonder, is he definitely the same person?'

Sasuke glanced at the girl, irritated by her ogling. "What do you _want_?" he grunted.

Ami frowned in displeasure. She didn't like the tone he had just used on her sister. Aiko's feelings were easily hurt. She was a girl who wore her heart on her sleeve, and Ami was very protective of her younger sibling. Still though, she decided that she would let it slide, as she knew that having someone stare at you was always irritating.

"Are you the asshole Ami was talking about yesterday?" Aiko questioned innocently. 'He doesn't seem like an asshole.'

Naruto snorted.

Ami's eyes widened. Aiko never insulted people.

Sasuke frowned. He didn't want to start being called an 'asshole' by Ami's younger sister.

"Don't speak to me like that." he growled.

Aiko flinched and her eyes watered at the tenor in his voice.

Ami's eyes narrowed at Sasuke. "Hey, don't speak to my sister like that."

Sasuke grunted. "She shouldn't be rude, then."

"She's just a kid. I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"She just cursed at me."

"I don't care. Don't growl at her."

"What's your problem?"

"What's _your_ problem?"

The girls' grandmother poked her head around a corner, carrying a plate of dumplings for their lunch, nervously eyeing the bickering children.

"You just growled at a kid."

"Who just called me an 'asshole'."

"Maybe she was_ right._" Ami said, glaring at the raven.

"Are you serious?" Sasuke stared at the girl, incredulous. "...You're insane. I'm leaving. Helping with a bit of DIY repairs is one thing, but I didn't come here to be insulted."

The raven straightened up and vaulted over the balcony railing down onto the roof of the building below. He walked along it until he got close to the entrance then jumped off and made his way down the steps.

"Oh my..." Grandma mumbled.

Aiko frowned. "Sis... he really didn't deserve that... I can take care of myself okay..."

Ami sighed again. "You're right. I should apologize tomorrow."

"Good. ...And sis?"

"Hmm?"

A small, white pot was held up to her. "We never gave him the bruise cream..."

"...Crap."

"What'll we do?" Aiko asked.

"If I give it to him now, he'll probably just throw it at my head. Even if I wait until tomorrow he's still going to be like a scalded cat." She turned to the blond behind her. "Naruto, please tell me by some highly unlikely chance, we don't have academy tomorrow."

The blond grimaced. "Sorry. I'm just glad you're next to teme and not me."

"Grandma, what's a 'teme'?" Aiko asked.

"It's a word that I do not like used in this house and if I ever catch you saying it I'll throw you outside and you can sleep in the garden." was the curt reply, a stern look of disapproval aimed at Naruto, who gave her an apologetic look in response. Hamako accepted and dropped her gaze.

"...Is it a bad word?" Aiko asked.

"Yes, it is." Hamako grunted.

"But Ami says bad words."

"I'm afraid it's too late for your sister's civility to be salvaged."

"...Ami said 'asshole' today." Aiko said.

"_Aiko..._" Ami sighed. "_Stop. Please._"

"Sorry."

Ami walked over to the side of the walkway and looked over towards the stairs that Sasuke had gone down.

There was a moment of silence.

"...I'm screwed, aren't I?" she said.

"Don't worry," Naruto said, "It's not like he'll beat you up or anything."

"No, he'll just bite my face off, chew me up and spit me back out again."

"...Yeah, more or less."


	3. Auras, Stone Faces and Hitai-Ate

**I have mock exams of the Junior Cert, (which are harder than the actual thing) starting on Friday, and they continue for a full week until and including the following Friday, so I will be busy until then. D: On the bright side though, I also have a fairly-sized chunk of the next chapter written already, so no real worries. :)**

**Hope you enjoy, and please tell me what you think. :D**

******I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Auras, Stone Faces, and Hitai-Ate

* * *

'Okay, breathe.' Ami thought to herself as she stood outside the classroom door, terrified to enter. 'Breathe in and out, in and out; Sasuke can't be that mad... He was more agitated than angry...' She swallowed hard and slid the door open, the buzz of students talking in the morning before class filling her ears. She looked around to see that Naruto hadn't arrived yet and let out a small whine. Sasuke was there, the hostile aura even stronger than usual, and even his fangirls seemed to have enough sense to stay away from him, although they still stared on from afar.

'I am so dead.' she thought. Suddenly, a head of pink hair caught her attention, and she recognized it as that of one of the fangirls from yesterday. It took a moment before she remembered her name. "Sakura!" she cried, running over to the girl, who sat in the seat behind her.

Sakura turned.

"Do you want to swap seats with me?" Ami asked.

Sakura glared at the brunette in front of her.

"C'mon! You'll get to sit next to Sasuke." she pressed as she put on a fake smile, desperately trying to convince the rosette to take her seat.

"You pissed off Sasuke-kun, didn't you?" Sakura said, still glaring.

Ami's mask began to falter.

"Not really... well maybe... it's possible... just a little..." She dropped the smile and grimaced. "Okay, yeah. Please help me!"

Sakura sniffed. "No. You made your bed and you can lie in it. Don't try and pawn your problems off on me, acting like you're being nice."

Ami cringed. 'I guess I do kinda deserve that...'

"Go on." Sakura said, before calling over to the stewing Uchiha; "Sasuke-kun! Ami's here."

Ami hadn't even thought that it would be possible, but the boy's already pitch-black aura became even darker in air.

She shivered at the ambiance he was giving off, but swallowed her fear and began walking towards her seat, looking like a man heading towards the gallows to be hung. She sat down in her seat and leaned away from the boy slightly, as though trying to remain unnoticed.

Sasuke said nothing but the intimidating atmosphere around him intensified once again, practically visible now.

"Um, about yesterday-" Ami began nervously, but when she received a sideways glare from the boy she was instantly silenced.

"_I want nothing to do with you, so just piss off and leave me alone._" He turned away and returned to scowling at the wall, just as he had been when Ami had first seen him.

Nothing had changed. He had no interest in her, and she felt pretty much the same about him as she had the morning before; slightly uncomfortable to be in the same room.

Ami probably would have run away for fear of the boy, but the teacher, Umino Iruka then entered the class, and she slowly leant back into her seat, wishing Naruto was with her.

"Good morning, everyone." the teacher said smiling, as he placed a stack of books on the table in front of him. He picked up a large, black hardback and began calling out names. When he received no answer to Uzumaki Naruto, his eyes scanned the room, searching. His brow furrowed. "Does anyone know where Naruto is?"

There was no real answer to Iruka's question from the other students, just a short murmuring of guesses.

"Ami, do you know?" Iruka asked hopefully.

"Sorry, sensei." Ami said, shaking her head, whilst trying to ignore the even more irritable than usual Sasuke beside her.

A commotion sounded outside. It was far off, but could still be heard by the students and teacher in the classroom. Ami listened carefully and was fairly sure that she could hear a small group of men shouting, although she wasn't sure how many, and a young boy laughing his head off.

Iruka sighed in irritation. "Wait here all of you, and behave." he said, running out the door of the classroom.

Chatter instantly started as soon as the sensei was gone. Ami listened to the conversations going around the classroom.

"It's him again, I bet." one girl with red hair in pigtails said, rolling her eyes.

"Of course it is." a short-haired brunette girl with an earring in one of her lobes said in a 'well, duh' voice.

"When is it ever anyone else?" a third girl said, black hair tied back in a ponytail and light green eyes.

"That guy's always causing trouble." Sakura grumbled to Ino, who nodded. "How are we supposed to learn anything when all sensei ever does is chase after him?"

"Who is it?" Ami asked the two girls, ignoring their glares. They might as well have been blowing kisses after the look Sasuke had given her.

"Naruto, idiot." Sakura spat.

"He often does this?"

"Yeah. He's such a pain." Sakura grumbled.

"Last time, he'd written 'Naruto was ere' on the walls all around the town in orange paint." Ino said tetchily, "It was so _stupid_."

Ami frowned. She hadn't known about these stunts of Naruto's.

She hopped up from her desk and ran to the window of the classroom, peering out to see if it was her friend who was causing all the yelling, and the sight of the young blond who sat to her right during class, jumping from rooftop to rooftop off in the distance, his arm swinging with a bucket of yellow paint, being chased by two angry shinobi and cackling hysterically met her eyes.

'What was he painting?' she wondered, before she noticed several streaks of colour out of the corner of her eye. Her mouth fell open when she turned her head to get a better look. He had painted the stone faces of the Hokages, the past leaders of the village carved into the mountainside with multi-coloured graffiti. Dribbling noses and mouths, eyeshadow, rosy cheeks, he'd given them the works.

"Naruto, get back here!" one of the shinobi in pursuit yelled.

"You've gone too far, this time!" the other shouted.

Naruto laughed at them. "Shut up! None of you can do that, can you?" she heard the boy yell, "But I can! I'm great!"

He went round a corner and Ami tried to move her head to get a better look, but banged it off the window instead.

She cringed. 'Naruto...'

* * *

Ami looked up from her desk as Iruka dragged the blond prankster in through the door of the classroom. The blond was tied up with rope, yelling and kicking wildly with his legs. The others in the class scowled at the sight of Naruto being hauled towards the front of the classroom and dropped to the floor with a thud.

"Listen, Naruto." Iruka said sternly, "You failed the last final exam and the exam before that. You shouldn't be fooling around like that."

"Iruka-sensei's wasting his time." Sakura muttered irritably from behind her. "I don't see why he even puts up with Naruto."

The girl beside Sakura nodded in agreement.

Ami frowned again.

Naruto just turned his head away and 'hmph'ed in reply. A vein in Iruka's temple throbbed.

"We're going to have a review test for the transformation technique! Those who already passed will have to line up as well." he barked at the class, who complained loudly in response.

'What's the big deal?' Ami thought, feeling slightly confused, 'It's just a little test. Just do it and get on with things. Why complain?'

* * *

"Haruno Sakura going!" the pink-haired girl said as she began concentrating her chakra, "Henge!"

There was a poof of smoke and a bang, and where Sakura had been standing, there was now a perfect imitation of Iruka-sensei.

"Okay." The sensei said, and with another poof of smoke and bang, the technique was dispelled, and a grinning Sakura stood in its place.

"I did it!" she exclaimed happily, "Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?"

Needless to say, she was ignored.

"Next, Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka said.

Ami glanced at the boy. He seemed to have cooled down.

"Yes." Sasuke said tonelessly as he walked forward.

Sakura frowned at her dismiss, but moved back to the end of the line.

Like Sakura, Sasuke successfully did the technique, and after Iruka's approval, dispelled it with a pop. He walked to the end of the line, back to his usual level of scowling.

"Next," Iruka continued, "Uzumaki Naruto."

"This sucks." the boy next to Naruto moaned. Ami looked at him. It was Shikamaru, a guy with an angular face and hair tied back in a spiky, brown ponytail, a fish-net vest and a grey jacket. Apparently, he was also the laziest person you could ever meet. She had heard from Naruto that he often slept through class, and "troublesome" was practically his catchphrase.

"This is all your fault." Ino griped.

'It's just a test.' Ami thought in disbelief, 'What's wrong with it? Just get it over with. None of you seem to be doing that bad.'

"Like I care." Naruto retorted grumpily, stepping forward to transform.

Ami stood near the other end of the line, having already done her transformation, which had been fine, and looked across at her friend. She noticed a pale girl with black hair cut in a hime-style wearing a light beige hooded top gazing at Naruto and playing with her fingers. Ami didn't miss the faint dust of pink hue tinting her cheeks.

'Why is she looking at Naruto like that?' Ami wondered. 'Come to think of it... she's not a Sasuke fangirl either... What's her name..?'

She was brought out of her thoughts by a loud; "Henge!" and instantly turned her attention back to Naruto.

Chakra was whirling around him as he began the technique, the blue substance that seemed neither solid, gas, nor liquid gyrating about in a wild maelstrom. The only way she could think to describe it was a something similar to cerulean flame.

'Naruto, that's _far_ too much.' she thought, gawking at the amounts he was spewing out and wasting.

A bang sounded as expected, and Ami's jaw practically dropped to the floor in horror.

Rather than Iruka-sensei, Naruto had opted to transform into a cute, curvy girl with long blonde pigtails, completely _nude_!

The girl winked at Iruka-sensei and blew him a kiss, and she could practically see blood spurting from the teacher's nostrils.

Naruto released the technique and laughed loudly. "How was _that_?" he asked, "I call it the seduction technique, Oiroke no Jutsu!"

"IDIOT!" Iruka bellowed, furious and embarrassed, "DON'T INVENT SUCH A DUMB TECHNIQUE!"

'Naruto...' Ami thought, covering her face with her hands, 'That was so embarrassing...'

* * *

Iruka gave Naruto after school detention and pretty soon, the rest of the class had finished their transformations. Ami had been embarrassed at Naruto's behavior at first, but pretty soon the blond had her laughing at the memories of Iruka's shocked, crimson face. After academy, she said her goodbyes to Naruto and headed to Aiko's class to pick her up.

* * *

"Sis!" Aiko ran towards her sister and slammed into her stomach, winding her, and squeezed her around her waist.

"Heya, Aiko." Ami said happily, although gasping slightly, hugging her sister around her shoulders, "How was your day?"

"Okay." Aiko said smiling, before her brow furrowed, looking as though she were in deep thought, "Are you and that guy... what's his name again..."

"Naruto?" Ami offered.

"No, the other one." Aiko said shaking her head. "The grumpy one with the angry face."

"Ah." Ami said in understanding, a slight look of antipathy on her face, "Sasuke."

"Yeah! Are you and Sasuke friends again?"

The glare she had seen earlier on the boy's face flashed through Ami's mind and she laughed nervously. "Well, we never really were friends, you know-"

"You haven't made up with him, _have you?_" Aiko said frowning.

Ami sighed in defeat. She crouched down to her sister's level and placed a hand on her shoulder. Aiko studied her sister's face carefully, watching for any signs of lying as she spoke.

"Aiko," she said, "I'm not going to tell you exactly what he said, but Sasuke was pretty clear about how much he hates me now and I highly doubt that he'll be forgiving me anytime soon, so really I'm just going to try and survive the rest of the time I spend here at the academy."

Aiko frowned. 'I'm not happy with that.' she said.

Ami sighed. "Well, I'm not about to climb back into the tiger's mouth, thanks."

"There he is!" the younger girl cried, pointing over her sister's shoulder, completely ignoring her. She reached into Ami's pocket and pulled out the small tub, then ducked underneath her sister's arms as she tried to stop her from running over to the glowering, raven-haired boy.

"Sasuke!" she cried.

"Aiko!" Ami yelled, chasing her sister, panicked.

Sasuke lowered his eyes and looked at the small, pigtail-donned head bobbing around his waist and squealing, tiny hands holding up a little pot as high as they could.

"Aiko!" Ami said frantically, dashing at the pair, then instantly halting when Sasuke turned his attention to her.

The boy looked at the older sister in distaste.

The brunette winced, "Sorry!" she said, trying to pull Aiko away from the boy by her shoulders, but the little girl did something that Ami was sure, in Sasuke's mind, may well have deserved the death penalty.

She grabbed onto his baggy, white shorts and clung to his legs, shrieking in protest.

Ami's face drained of colour, "I am _so_ sorry!" she cried, as Sasuke stared down at the girl, his face a mixture of shock and aggravation, "Aiko! Let go of him!"

Aiko refused and buried her face into the boy's thigh.

Sasuke growled.

"Aiko, you're making Sasuke mad! Let go!"

"Control your sister, will you?" the boy scowled in annoyance.

"I'm trying! Believe me!"

"Stop pulling me and let me say what I want to!" Aiko yelled, pulling her face out slightly from the white fabric, "Or I'll pull down his pants and then we'll see how mad he can get!"

The colour drained from Ami's face and she instantly released her sister.

"Sasuke!" the little girl yelled from around the boy's waist.

"_What_?"

Aiko pouted slightly at the tone of his voice, then brushed it off, accepting that this was how Sasuke acted with most everyone.

"Do you hate my sister?"

Sasuke gave her a blank stare. "Yes." he said indefinitely.

Aiko frowned. "Will you ever forgive her?"

"..._No_. Now let go of me." Sasuke growled.

Aiko didn't move. "Is there any way we can make up for it?"

"..._No._ Get lost."

Aiko refused. "Can we give you something? It's for you."

"Whatever it is, I don't want it."

"How can you know you don't want it when you don't even know what it is?" the young girl asked curiously, tilting her head to the side in confusion, pigtails bouncing with the action.

"Because I don't." the boy said, pulling on his shorts, "Let go."

"...Sasuke, you're silly. Stop being so stubborn." she said irritably, then stuck her hand into the pocket of the boy's shorts, "You're as bad as my sister." She stepped back and looked up at him. "Ami says that she doesn't care if you forgive her or not, but I don't think that's true. Also, if a girl makes something for you, you should take it, whether you want it or not."

Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out the balm. "What the hell is this?"

"It's ointment." Aiko said, "Sis said she hurt your neck and since you're a proud, grudge-bearing bastard, you'd more than likely still be bitching about it on your deathbed, and she really doesn't need someone cursing her for the rest of her life."

Sasuke scowled at the older sister. "'Proud, grudge-bearing bastard'?" he quoted acidly.

Ami chuckled nervously. "Is that what I said?"

"You said a few other things as well-."

"_Don't quote them!_" Ami whispered frantically.

Sasuke grunted irritably at the two and walked away, but shoved the tub in his shorts.

"Bye-bye, Sasuke!" Aiko called, waving at his back.

He ignored her.

Ami gawked at the back of the raven's head, then at her beaming sister, somehow feeling both horrified and pleased with her sibling's actions. "Aiko, you're unbelievable, you know that?"

Aiko just kept on smiling proudly.

* * *

The other students had left after academy, but those in the oldest class had stayed behind for the graduation exam. Aiko had been brought home by Ami and left with Grandma, and now the older sister sat at her desk, trying to comfort Naruto, who was, at the moment, a shaking mess in neon.

"What am I going to do...?" he whimpered, "The Bunshin no Jutsu is my _worst_ technique!"

"You can only do your best, Naruto." she replied patting his shoulder.

"But my best is _crap_!"

Ami couldn't think of anything helpful to say. If Naruto really was as bad at replication as he was making himself out to be, then there was no way that he would be able to pass. No matter what she considered, the only way she could see this turning out was with Naruto failing miserably.

'Please just let him be self-critical.' she prayed mentally, '_Extremely_ self-critical.'

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to face her teacher.

"Ami, could I speak to you a moment?" Iruka asked. She noticed his eyebrows furrow slightly when he glanced towards the shaking Naruto.

The brunette blinked at the teacher, utterly perplexed, but stood up and followed nonetheless, leaving the trembling blond behind her.

Iruka led her out through the sliding door and into the hallway. He turned to face her, smiling kindly.

"Now, Ami," he began, speaking gently, as though he were afraid to hurt her feelings, "you only came here yesterday, so if you don't want to take the graduation exam, it's alright, although based off your performance yesterday whilst training, as long as you learn to control your temper a bit more, I'm sure you'll be a fine kunoichi. And even if you don't pass, you can always try again next time, so there's no worry."

Ami blinked, then smiled in understanding. "Thank you sensei," she said cheerfully, "But my parents used to train me before, and there was an academy in the village I used to live in, and although its resources weren't near as good as here, we still learned a lot, so I'm sure I'll be fine."

Iruka studied her expression carefully, then smiled, "Alright then, I trust your judgement. Good luck."

"Thanks, sensei." Ami grinned, and the two returned to the classroom.

Ami sat down and smiling a little to herself, when she suddenly recalled something Iruka had said; ''Temper'?' she thought, 'What 'temper'?'

* * *

Ami stared at the floorboards, studying the dark knots in the wood. She slowly turned her eyes towards the blond beside her, watching the nervous Naruto out of the corner of her eye. He was shaking and looked as though he might puke; face pale and eyes wide with terror, tears of worry coming up in them, just about contained from spilling over.

To pass the graduation exam of the academy, you had to perform the Bunsin no Jutsu, creating three perfect replications of yourself.

Ami wasn't worried about herself. She had no problem with replication techniques, but Naruto had explained to her that it what he was worst at, and that he couldn't even manage to create a decent-looking one, never mind three. She placed a hand on his shoulder in an effort to comfort the boy.

Naruto simply gave her a look that said; 'Please kill me'.

A silver-haired teacher wearing a bandana walked out with a clipboard and a red-haired girl, Kame Sachiko walked out, a blue headband tied around her waist.

"Konno Ami." he called.

Ami stood and followed the teacher into the room, giving Naruto one last look of sympathy before she walked through the door.

* * *

Brunette bangs parted and the girl tied her headband around her brow, the blue fabric wrapping the hair against her head. The konoha leaf symbol carved into the metal plate glinted in the sunlight streaming in through a high window.

"Congratulations on passing." Iruka said, ticking a small box beside her name on the clipboard in his hands.

"Become a good Konoha ninja." The other teacher said, the silver-haired man with the bandana said.

Ami smiled and nodded. "I'll do my best." she said. She glanced at the unfamiliar sensei and frowned. 'He irks me... I just don't like the guy.'

"Ah... Ami?" Iruka said.

She looked at him.

"We're done."

Ami looked at him, nonplussed, then realised just how long she had been standing there.

"Oh! Sorry. Bye, senseis!" She pulled the door open and exited the room, taking her seat back beside Naruto, who still had yet to go.

The boy looked at her headband and wailed.

She cringed and went to take it off, but Naruto grabbed onto her wrist.

"Don't bother..." he said sadly, "Congrats on passing..."

Ami frowned and lowered her hand. 'Naruto...'

* * *

Ami waited in the seat for Naruto to finish his test, twisting strands of hair around her fingers and fiddling with her forehead protector in nervousness. She jumped up when the door opened and Naruto walked out.

"How did you-?" she began, but stopped as soon as she saw his expression.

He looked like he wanted to cry.

"Naruto-"

He pushed past her and dashed down the hallway, hurtled around a corner and out of sight, the leg of his orange trousers the last thing she saw.

He had failed the exam.


	4. Weekends, Kisses and SuckUps

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it****.**

* * *

Weekends, Kisses and Suck-Ups

* * *

The students that had graduated had been given the whole weekend to rest up, which was probably spent by most families having get-togethers and rejoicing, also giving the teachers time to arrange the graduates into equally-powered squads, before returning to the academy for a meeting on Tuesday morning. Grandma, Aiko and she had had a small party the night before to celebrate, but Naruto not having passed had made it a bittersweet victory for the girl, and as she listened to Aiko laughing happily whilst suggesting various places for Ami to tie her headband, all she could find herself thinking of was Naruto sitting by himself in his lonely apartment, too ashamed to even speak to her.

On Monday, she had gone to the academy to have her picture taken as part of her profile in the ninja records, and then went looking for Naruto, but not knowing where he lived and being pretty sure that he wouldn't be very interested in speaking to her even if she did find him didn't really give her much motivation, and after nearly three hours of walking all around the village with no luck, she had eventually given up.

* * *

Ami had felt strangely empty when she had finally accepted that Naruto wouldn't be coming to class.

She sighed as she made her way to the classroom, the corners of her mouth pulled down in a gloomy expression. _'I don't know what I should do...'_ she thought miserably.

She slouched in through the door and sighed as she looked around at the other students. A bright, yellow head of hair caught her attention and she quickly dashed over in disbelief of who she was seeing, Shikamaru talking to him.

"Why are you here? Today's explanatory meeting is only for those who graduated." the brunette boy asked.

"Naruto, you passed?" Ami questioned excitedly.

"Hey, can you not see this forehead protector? Starting today, I'm also a ninja!" The boy gestured to his forehead with a thumb, a proud grin on his whiskered face.

In place of his green goggles, Naruto was wearing a blue headband with a metal plate, engraved with the Konoha symbol on his brow.

Ami's eyes widened in shock, but doubt quickly flickered inside her. "Naruto… stealing a headband doesn't make you a ninja." she mumbled sadly.

"I didn't _steal it_!"Naruto yelled indignantly, offended that she would actually consider that he had done such a thing. "Iruka-sensei passed me!"

"What, you graduated after all?" Ami asked, amazed, "How?"

Naruto's smile dropped and he suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Umm…"

Ami frowned as she felt her heart sink. "He's lying isn't he..?"

Suddenly, both Sakura and Ino burst in the doorway, becoming momentarily wedged in the space, then struggling before finally squeezing through, both proclaiming a loud cry of; "Goal!" with their arms in each others' faces, before dropping their limbs and panting.

Ino gave Sakura a tired, but smug smirk.

"Looks like I win again Sakura."

"What are you talking about? The pink-haired girl bit back, "My toe entered the door before yours by a centimetre!"

"Are you blind?"

'Sakura-chan…' Naruto felt a slight heat rising in his cheeks.

Sakura glanced around the classroom, as though looking for someone in particular, and seemed to find them. Ami thought a moment that the girl was looking her and Naruto's way, but that was quickly disproved when Sakura ran up, ignoring Naruto's call of; "Good morning, Sakura-chan!" as she pushed him aside, knocking him to the floor and nearly elbowing Ami in the face in the process.

"Get out of my way!" she growled at them, before switching to a shy, demure tone as she addressed the Uchiha at the end of the desk. "G-good morning, Sasuke-kun."

The boy gave her a short glance, then returned to ignoring her.

"Can I sit here?" she asked.

"Actually, that's my seat." Ami growled, quite nettled at being ignored after Sakura nearly dealt her what would have been quite a painful blow.

Sakura turned her head, glaring daggers at her. "_Trying to steal away Sasuke-kun?_" she said in a dangerous voice.

"_I thought I'd already been quite clear on this matter._" Ami replied, tone just as icy.

"Hey! I'm going to sit next to him." Ino declared, grabbing Sakura's arm.

"First come, first serve." Sakura answered.

"I came into the classroom before you!"

"Hey! I'm already sitting there!" Ami growled.

"I don't see your ass on it." one of the fan girls spat at her.

"Well, considering where your head's shoved-!"

"I came in before any of you!" a girl with thick, brown hair done up in five large, and as Ami saw them, stupid-looking pigtails declared.

"If that's the case, I did." a fourth girl said, her hair in a strange style that had it lean lopsided to her right.

"I was first." another declared.

"I get to sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

Pretty soon almost every girl in the class was arguing over the seat, excluding the pale girl with black hair that Ami had seen twiddling her fingers on Friday.

Sasuke closed his eyes. 'Shut up.' he thought irritably.

Still sitting on the floor, Naruto scowled, and jumped onto the desk in front of Sasuke, pushing his face inches from the black-haired boy's. The Uchiha opened his eyes and glared at Naruto, clearly irritated.

"Naruto! Stop staring at Sasuke-kun!"

"Why can't he?" Ami demanded, "You do it all the time, like the creepy stalker you are!"

Naruto looked at the pink-haired girl, a pained expression that was a mix of hurt and confusion on his face. He returned to glaring at Sasuke, who glared back, sparks practically flashing between the boys.

'Everyone is so obsessed with Sasuke…' he thought, 'What's so great about him anyway?'

"Sasuke-kun, just beat him up!" Sakura yelled.

"Yeah!" another girl agreed.

"What? For real?" a boy with brown hair tied back in a ponytail declared, shifting in his seat and accidentally elbowing Naruto in the rear. "Oh, sorry." He said, turning to look around at the boy.

The room had gone silent, mouths hanging open in shock.

Naruto, after being nudged by the boy, had fallen off balance and straight onto Sasuke, their mouths smashing together in what could be perceived as a clumsy excuse for a kiss.

Sakura screamed in horror. Ami gawked, mouth hanging open, then clapped a hand over her mouth to try and hide her laugh, but a small snort slipped out from between her fingers.

Both boys looked as though they wanted to puke. They pulled apart, gagging and spluttering, Naruto saying that his mouth would rot and Sasuke threatening to kill him.

Naruto froze. "I sense danger." he said, before slowly turning his head toward the group of fangirls gathered at the end of the bench.

They were glaring murder at him.

"Naruto… you…" Sakura snarled, a vein in her temple throbbing.

"It was an accident. An accident!" Naruto said, desperately trying to sooth the girls, who looked as though they wanted to rip his head off.

Ami saw the looks and jumped in between the bloodthirsty females and the two boys, also trying to smooth the situation over.

"Yeah! I mean really, it was more like two pairs of front teeth smashing into other than a kiss, in fact, that's all it was! I'm sure one of you will get Sasuke's first kiss someday!"

Sasuke gagged in disgust, almost puking in his mouth at the thought, or maybe that was because not only had Naruto just had his jaws stuck to his face, it had also tasted of ramen and stunk of something not unlike sour milk.

"Like fuck. I'll bet he's gay." Naruto muttered, but the girls heard.

Ami gaped at him. "_Idiot_!" she cried, "Are you _brain-dead_, or something?"

Sakura cracked her knuckles, growling.

"_Annoying._"

* * *

Iruka walked in the door of the classroom and Ami instantly called for his attention.

"Iruka-sensei," She gestured to the battered boy beside her. "Did Naruto really graduate?"

The teacher smiled at her. "Yes. I passed him myself." he said happily.

Ami's mouth fell open before she threw her arms around Naruto and shrieked in delight.

Sasuke winced beside the pair in annoyance at the sound, and even more so when Sakura slid in beside him on the bench.

'_Bitch_.' Ami scowled, sitting down on the end of the row behind them, beside the blushing girl from yesterday. She suddenly remembered that she had never found out who she was.

The black-haired girl was playing with her fingers again and staring at the back of Naruto's head.

Ami snapped her out of her trance. "What's your name?"

The girl released a small squeak of surprise and her head quickly jerked up, seeming as though she had only just noticed the girl.

Now that she was looking at the front of her face rather than the side of her head, Ami saw something she had never seen before.

The girl's eyes were a milky white.

'What is that?' Ami thought, trying not to stare, "Your eyes…" she mumbled.

"Ah, th-that's just my b-bloodline." the girl stuttered, "It's called 'B-Byakugan'."

'That's a relief, I'd have no idea how to handle a blind person…' Ami thought thankfully. Then she remembered the girl's reaction to her speaking, "Did you not notice me sit down?" she asked, bewildered. 'How deep in thought was she?'

"A-Ami-chan..."

"So, what's your name?"

"H-Hyuuga H-Hinata."

"Nice to meet you Hinata-chan." she grinned, 'She's nice. Shy though, and what's with the stutter? Is she afraid of me or something?'

"Ami." Naruto whispered, quietly calling for her attention.

She looked at him.

"I hope we get on the same team."

Ami grinned and nodded to the blond, who turned back around smiling. The brunette then noticed that the girl beside her, Hinata, was gazing at Naruto's back with a hint of sadness in her face. 'Oh… I see.' Ami thought, her face breaking into a knowing smirk as the penny dropped. 'Does Naruto know, I wonder?'

"Starting today, you are all official ninjas, but… you are all still new Genin. It's going to get harder from here." Iruka declared, speaking loudly and clearly from the top of the class. "You all will be in a group of three, where you will accomplish missions under a Jounin teacher."

Many eyes widened, brows rose and heads lifted in interest at this new information.

"I wonder who's going to be in Sasuke-kun's team." Ino said, clearly convinced that it would be her.

Sakura's brow furrowed. "I don't know." she said not facing Ino, trying to sound flippant, but then turned and glared fiercely at the girl, as her crazy inner thoughts blazed with fury snarling; 'Damn it, I'm the one who's going to team up with him, of course!'

Sasuke 'tch'ed in irritation. 'A group of three? That's only going to burden me.'

'I want Ami and… Sakura-chan!' Naruto thought happily. 'I'd hate to get _Sasuke _though!'

"We've arranged the groups such that overall abilities are equivalent." Iruka said. "I will now announce them."

The classroom quieted as Iruka held up several sheets of paper and began calling out names.

"First group. Asami Kaori. Urashima Akira-"

Ami listened carefully for her and Naruto's names, as the sensei continued to speak, praying that they would be on the same team. Finally, she heard one of them.

"Next, seventh group. Uzumaki Naruto." the boy's head perked up in attention and both Ami and Hinata unconsciously leaned forward in anticipation. "Haruno Sakura."

"YEAH!" Naruto leapt up, yelling in triumph, as Sakura cringed.

'Please say 'Konno Ami'!' the brunette prayed, 'Please!'

"And Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka finished.

This time, it was Naruto who groaned "Sasuke..? But I want Ami…" as Sakura cheered, Ami screaming a loud; "YOU SUCK!" of frustration and disappointment between the pair, causing the timid Hyuuga beside her to jump and give a tiny squeak of surprise. There were loud protests from Sasuke's fan girls all around as Sasuke himself gave a small "Tch." of annoyance.

"_However-_" Iruka continued, raising his voice over the racket, "Since there is an uneven number of Genin this year, there will be a fourth member on Team Seven."

'Oh, whoopee. More annoyances.' Sasuke thought sarcastically, as he felt the majority of girls in the class fix him with hopeful, goo-goo-eyed gazes.

'_PLEASE!_'Ami mentally screamed. '_EVEN IF SASUKE'S THERE! I'LL CONSIDER IT PENANCE!'_

"And so, as I believed it would best balance out the team, the fourth member in Team Seven is… Konno Ami." the teacher finished with a smile.

"THANK YOU GOD!" Ami cried, leaping up out of her seat and throwing her arms in the air in celebration, every one of the fan girls around her shooting her filthy looks, to which Ami simply laughed. She was too happy to care.

Beside her, Hinata frowned in disappointment.

"Ami, quiet down, or I'll throw you out the door." Iruka warned.

The girl sat down, still grinning, oblivious to Hinata beside her.

"Next is the eighth group; Hyuuga Hinata,"

"Y-Yes!" the white-eyed girl stuttered.

"Inuzuka Kiba."

The boy who had tripped Ami for fun on her first day grinned.

"Aburame Shino."

A boy with brown hair and a high-collared, white coat adjusted his black sunglasses.

Sakura turned around to face Ino, who was sitting in the middle of the row behind her and gave her a smug peace sign.

"It's not _fair_, why do _you_ get to be with him! And that _bitch_ too!" Ino growled, clenching her fists in anger.

'That bitch' pulled a face at the blonde, clearly smug.

Sakura just sneered and turned back around, feeling very pleased with herself.

"Why do girls like such a guy anyway?" Shikamaru asked, sounding fed-up. Then again, he nearly always sounded fed-up.

"Don't you even know that, Shikamaru?" Ino asked incredulously.

"I'm not a girl." the lazy boy sad tiredly.

Ino stared at him a moment in disbelief, then sighed as if pitying him. "That's why you're not popular. I wouldn't want to team up with a guy like you."

"Tenth group." Iruka called, "Yamanaka Ino. Nara Shikamaru."

Ino's jaw dropped and Shikamaru smirked. "Looks like you have to team up with me." he taunted.

The blonde scowled in response.

"And Akimichi Chouji."

Ami saw several people look towards a chubby boy in the front row. He had light brown hair sticking up in two tufts from either side of a strange headband that had a third band of material that went across the top of his head as well as the sides. He was furiously munching potato chips as though if he didn't his head might explode.

'And a fatty?' Ino groaned.

'Guess that's Akimichi Chouji.' Ami thought.

"And that's it for the groups." Iruka finished.

Naruto leapt up, yelling indignantly. "Iruka-sensei! Why is a top student like me in a group with this guy?"

Sakura scowled at the blond.

"Sasuke graduated with the highest scores. And you, Naruto, were dead last!"

The class burst out laughing.

"This happens because we want to evenly divide abilities between the groups. Sakura and Ami were put on the same team as you both as they are both average ninjas, Sakura scoring higher in written tests and Genjutsu, Ami scoring higher in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu."

'Sakura scored higher than me in the written exams…?' Ami thought in disbelief, 'That… babbling Sasuke-fan girl… is _smarter_ than me?' She dropped her head in shame. 'I think… I just died a little inside…'

"Don't hold me back, Dobe." Sasuke said nonchalantly.

Naruto quivered in rage. He was calling him '_dobe_'… Sasuke was addressing him as '_dead last_'.

"What did you say?"

"You want to fight, Dobe?"

"Dobe? Why you-!"

"Stop it, Naruto." Sakura chastised.

Naruto's voice lowered at Sakura's words. "Excuse me…" he mumbled.

Iruka sighed. "I'm going to introduce the Jounin teachers in the afternoon. Meeting adjourned until then!"

* * *

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called, walking out the gate of the academy, searching for the boy. "Where did he go? I wanted to eat together since we're in the same group now."

Naruto and Ami had followed her out from the building.

Naruto called out to her. "Sakura-chan! Let's all eat together since we're in the same group now."

"Why do I have to eat with you?" Sakura demanded. "And _her_?"

'What's wrong with me?' Ami thought, feeling rather offended, 'If I can put up with her she can put up with me!'

"But, but we're in the same group so…" Naruto said, unsure of how to respond to Sakura's blatant rudeness.

"You're annoying." Sakura spat, before turning on her heel and walking away, once again calling for Sasuke.

As she left, Ami placed a hand on a dejected-looking Naruto's shoulder, who nodded in appreciation.

"There's a fairly large rock there." she said in an offhand sort of manner, nodding towards the edge of the pathway. "From this distance, I could probably manage to hit her square in the ass if you want."

Naruto shook his head.

"You wanna throw it?" the girl continued, chuckling slightly. "I'll yell her name, she turns around and fifty points if you get her in the forehead."

Naruto sighed and shook his head, but smiled slightly, understanding what Ami was trying to do. "No thanks. And… could you do me a favor?"

Ami smiled. "Sure."

"…Try not to call Sakura a stalker all the time… try to be nicer to her. Maybe she'll return the favor. She… isn't that bad… really."

Ami was surprised at the request but nodded in understanding. 'I doubt she will, but if it's what Naruto wants…' "Alright."

* * *

The pair walked for a while, until they got to the bottom of Keijousai Inn's steps, where they decided to split up. She made her way up the steps as Naruto continued along the path to his apartment, giving Ami directions on how to get there before he left.

* * *

Ami was grinning from ear to ear as she entered the door to the inn. Even after the long, tiring trek up the steps to the inn, and the fact that Sasuke and an irritating fan girl would also be on the team, the happy balloon swelling inside her had not deflated, and was continuing to allow her to bathe in the light, springy feeling flurrying in her stomach.

"_I'm_ _home!_" she called out in a cheery, sing-song voice.

Aiko trotted into the hall, looking surprised and confused. "But sis, I thought you were sad that Naruto didn't pass. Why are you happy?"

Ami was grinning so widely, she knew she knew that she was probably beginning to look like a tree monkey.

"He graduated after all. Iruka-sensei passed him!"

Ami's eyes widened and a smile broke out on her round face. "Are you on his team!"

"Yeah! We're going back later to meet our sensei!"

Aiko squealed in happiness. "Who else is on your team?"

Ami pulled a face, but smiled. It was a silly expression.

"Most teams are squads of three, but because of the numbers, there are four on ours. The other two are a Sasuke-fan girl called Haruno Sakura, and Sasuke himself."

"Sasuke's on your team?" Aiko beamed, "Maybe you'll become friends!"

'Yeah, that's likely.' she thought sarcastically, chuckling to herself.

"Ami, is that you?" Grandma asked from the other room. "Could you come in here, please?"

The brunette did as she was told and followed the voice into the living room. Grandma was kneeling at the kotatsu, drinking tea.

"What's this I hear about your team?" she asked smiling, "My ears have gone bad in my old age."

Ami grinned. "Because of unequal numbers in the class, caused by me recently joining, instead of three people, there are four in my group. Uzumaki Naruto, the blond boy you met before, Haruno Sakura, who's a girl in my class that I don't really know that well, and Uchiha Sasuke, the other boy you've met."

'So… that whiskered boy… he's on her team…' Hamako thought, feeling slightly worried, but not letting it show up on her face. "Ah, yes, I remember those two," she said smiling, "That blond is a good friend of yours, loud, but rather pleasant, and the other boy is very handsome." She winked suggestively whilst saying the last part.

Ami rolled her eyes. "His personality cancels it out, trust me. If he wasn't such a jerk I might actually be fond of him, but… 'twas not to be! So… _no_."

"And the other girl?" Hamako pressed, "What do you think of her so far? Do you get along well?"

Ami frowned and chewed her lip, remembering Naruto's request.

"She's… loud… and mean to Naruto. Plus, she follows Sasuke all over the place, even though she knows he hates it. So far, I don't like her, but Naruto asked me to try and be nice to her. I just hope that she has some nice qualities in that big, pink head of hers."

"'Pink'?" Grandma questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right. She has such a weird hair colour. I couldn't stop staring at it when I first saw her."

"Pink hair..." Aiko mumbled, trying to imagine it, then remembering something else. "So, you'll be going back later on today?"

"Yeah, we'll be introduced to our sensei in the afternoon."

"Do you know who it is yet?"

"Nope." Ami said, "Don't even know their name yet."

"I see…" Hamako mumbled, still mulling over the Naruto predicament, "Well, good luck!"

"Thanks Aiko." Now that the buzz was beginning to settle a bit, with the teammates she had, Ami realised that she may very well need it.

* * *

The young Konno strolled along the streets of the village, pondering what to do about Sakura and Sasuke as she headed towards the academy for the remainder of the meeting.

'Sasuke… he doesn't talk much… I can probably just kind of ignore him for the time being, at least until I come up with a better solution… He's so mean though… there's no way that will work. And how are we supposed to work as a team if I'm just ignoring him? ...I'll come back to dealing with Sasuke. Sakura… we're such polar opposites. The only things we have in common are our tempers, and that's no good because we're always locking horns-' She was thrown out of her thoughts by a very uncomfortable-looking Naruto, clutching his stomach and running past her in a very awkward fashion. Ami stared at him a moment before looking up the path and seeing Sakura, who looked as though she had just been slapped in the face with a cold, wet fish.

"NARUTO!" she screeched suddenly, her temples bulging.

Ami jumped.

"YOU IDIOT!"

'…I won't even ask what happened.' Ami decided once her ears had stopped ringing. 'I really don't think that I want to know.'

* * *

"Why isn't he here, yet?" Naruto complained loudly to the others.

"We _don't know_, Naruto." Sakura said irritably, leaning against a desk. "Just sit still."

"But why is the teacher for our seventh group the only one late?" the boy continued to whine, "All the other groups went somewhere with their new teachers already, and Iruka-sensei already went home!"

"It can't be helped." Ami said simply, sitting on top of the desk beside Sakura. "We'll just have to wait."

Ami looked down at her feet, watching her toes as she wiggled them in her blue sandals, and Sakura stared at the floor, then both of them looked up when they heard a thumping and clattering at the door.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sakura questioned, trotting up to Naruto as he stood on top of a stool, placing the classroom's chalkboard eraser in the gap between the sliding door and its frame.

"It's his fault for being late." Naruto said lightly, jumping down off the stool.

"It's your own fault if you get in trouble." Sakura said contemptuously, placing her hands on her hips, but inside she was squealing in delight.

'I like these kinds of tricks!' she thought happily.

Sasuke, who had so far remained silent seated at another desk away from Ami and Sakura, his posture slouched as he leaned forward, fingers intertwined, resting his chin on them with a bored look on his face, grunted. "A Jounin isn't going to fall for a plain old booby trap like that." he sneered, and Sakura fervently agreed.

"Yeah! Naruto, you're so stupid."

Ami glared at her, and when Sakura noticed she demanded; "What?"

Ami slurped in reply.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a kiss-ass." Ami replied, still glaring, "A suck-up."

"How dare you-" Sakura began, but all four turned their focus instantly to the door when a gloved hand placed itself on the door.

Naruto grinned in anticipation, Sakura watched, absorbed, secretly hoping that the prank would fall through, Sasuke watched calmly, expecting it to fail, and Ami removed her glare, eagerly watching for the conclusion of the small stunt.

A masked man with silver hair leaning over to one side stuck his head in the door, pushing it open, and the chalk eraser fell, landing on his head, white dust puffing out from it, before hitting the ground with a soft plunk.

Naruto instantly burst into hysterical laughter. "He fell for it! He fell for it!"

The sensei simply stood there, his expression indistinguishable because of the dark mask he wore, but from his single visible eye, the other covered with his lopsided headband, he seemed bored and uninterested.

"I'm sorry, sensei!" Sakura instantly began. "I tried to stop him, but Naruto-kun didn't listen to me-"

"Naruto-kun?"Ami questioned, interrupting her, "You called him 'stupid' a moment ago."

Sakura turned to glare at her.

"And what about; 'I'm sorry, sensei'? You weren't that opposed. Especially until Mr. Oh-So-Happy over there criticized it." Ami continued, gesturing to the Uchiha behind her with a thumb.

The brunette slurped again and received an elbow in the gut for it from Sakura, who smirked in satisfaction until the Konno kicked her in the back of the legs, effectively pushing her support out from under her, and causing her to fall onto her knees. Sakura responded by grabbing Ami's legs and doing the same thing with her arms, only Ami fell on her backside instead.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in displeasure. _'__Mr. Oh-So-Happy?__' _He frowned. _'Did that man seriously just fall for that pathetic prank? Is he really a Jounin?'_

The sensei bent down and picked up the eraser, and the others could now see that despite his silver hair, he was actually quite a young man. The small part of his face that they could see was quite smooth with no wrinkles, although he seemed to have a permanently apathetic expression. He directed his lazy gaze at the eraser before speaking in a bored, lazy voice that matched.

"How should I say this..." he pondered aloud, instantly catching the attention of the cackling blond, bored raven and two girls wrestling on the ground. "My first impressions of you guys are... 'I hate you'."

The four Genin cringed before following the man up on top of the roof.

* * *

"Let's see," began the sensei, leaning against the metal railing, the four Genin sitting on the steps in front of him. "Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Introduce ourselves? What should we say?" Sakura asked.

The sensei shrugged. "What you like, hate, your dreams, your hobbies, something like that."

"Hey, hey, why don't you introduce yourself first sensei." Naruto suggested.

"Me?" the man asked. "...I'm Hatake Kakashi." He paused a moment. "I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream..." he never bothered finishing the sentence. "I have a few hobbies."

"So all we found out was his name." Sakura grumbled to the others, clearly unimpressed with the silver-haired man.

"Yeah." Naruto said.

"Now, it's your turn." the sensei, Kakashi said. "You first." He nodded at Naruto, who was bouncing up and down, fiddling with his headband as he answered.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he said eagerly, "I like cup ramen! But I like the ramen at Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei bought for me even more! I hate the three minutes that I have to wait after I put in the hot water. My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramens, and my dream is to become greater than the Hokages! I'm going to make all the villagers recognize my existence!"

'I see.' Kakashi thought, 'He grew up in an interesting way.' "Next."

"I'm Haruno Sakura!" the pink-haired girl said smiling from ear to ear. "I like... well the person I like is.." Sakura began to continuously glance over at the deadpan raven-haired boy beside her, attempting to be inconspicuous, but in reality being about as subtle as an elephant in a telephone booth. "And my hobby is... well, my dream is to..." She let loose an excited fan girl squeal, and Ami rolled her eyes, while Naruto frowned.

"And? What do you hate?" Kakashi pressed on, also growing tired of Sakura's giggling.

_"Naruto."_ Sakura growled, spitting the boy's name with venom.

Naruto wailed at her answer, but Sakura ignored him, continuing to stare at Sasuke, who continued to take no notice of her.

'Girls at her age must be more interested in love than ninja training.' Kakashi thought. "Go." he said, nodding at Ami, who gave Sakura a disgusted look before smirking.

"My name is Konno Ami." she said, "I like hanging out with my best friend, Naruto," The two friends exchanged grins. "and training and sleeping in in the mornings. I don't like misery-guts here, or his fan girls."

Sasuke ignored Ami whilst Sakura glared furiously at her, but Ami simply brushed it off and continued.

"My hobbies are the things that I like, and my goal is to always protect those that I love and consider close to me."

_''Misery-guts'?' _Kakashi repeated nonchalantly in his mind. _'She's certainly different from the other.'_

"Last one." he called, and Sakura giggled at Sasuke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke." the boy said simply, his voice devoid of all emotion as he spoke. "There are many things that I hate, and there aren't a lot of things that I like.

Sakura's smile slid off her face and she "oh"d in disappointment.

Ami rolled her eyes again. Honestly, the Uchiha had already been pretty clear about disliking Sakura, along with all the other fangirls, and she was well aware that she and Naruto were more than likely not that far behind on the list, although they were probably down for the reason of 'bastards' rather than 'nuisances'.

"Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan, and to... kill a certain man."

Everyone stared in silence at the young Uchiha, momentarily shocked from his final statement.

'I hope he's not referring to me.' Naruto thought, leaning away from the Uchiha.

'Sasuke-kun IS cool.' Sakura thought, her cheeks glowing in admiration.

'Just as I thought.' Kakashi decided.

'Well, I'm having nothing to do with either of those.' Ami thought, pulling a face. Like Naruto, she also leaned away.

"Alright, you four each have individual personalities. I like that." Kakashi said, breaking the silence between them all. "We're going to begin a mission starting tomorrow."

"What kind of mission is that, sir?" Naruto asked loudly, saluting the man as he spoke.

"First, we're going to do something that only we five, can do." he said.

"What, what, what, what is it?" Naruto gabbled excitedly.

After a short pause, Kakashi told him. "Survival training."

"'Survival training'?" Naruto repeated, confused.

"Why are we going to train when it's a mission?" Sakura questioned. "We had plenty of training at the academy."

"This is no ordinary training." Kakashi said.

"Then what kind of training is it?" Ami asked.

The sensei began to laugh.

Sakura glared at him. "Hey, what's so funny sensei?" she asked.

"Well, if I say this, I'm sure you three are going to be surprised." Kakashi laughed.

"Huh?" Naruto said.

"Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will become Genin. The other eighteen will be sent back to the academy, give or take one depending on whether or not this team wins. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of sixty-six percent." Kakashi clarified, getting exactly the reactions he had expected.

The three Genin gawped at him in various expressions of disbelief. Sakura looked horrified, Sasuke looked pissed, Ami looked horrified and pissed, and Naruto looked as though he had just taken a massive crap in his pants.

"See? You four are surprised!" Kakashi exclaimed in amusement.

"No way!" Naruto cried out in anger, "I went through so much trouble!"

"What was the final exam for, then?" Ami demanded.

"That? It just picks out those who are qualified to become Genin." Kakashi said casually.

"What!" yelled the blond in disbelief.

"Anyway," Kakashi continued, "I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your ninja equipment and meet at five A.M!"

Naruto shook in fury and determination as he thought; 'I'm not going to get dropped by a thing like this! I have to make him recognize my abilities, for real!'

'If I fail, I'm going to be separated from Sasuke-kun!' Sakura thought, 'This is a trial of love!'

'If I fail," Ami thought. 'Naruto will be stuck with those two, and I'll lose my only chance to be on the same team as my best friend! I have to make it!'

Sasuke clenched his hands tightly. 'I can't lose here!' he thought furiously, 'I_ refuse _to!'

"Now then, meeting over." Kakashi dismissed, Oh yeah, don't eat breakfast." he added, as though it were an afterthought. "You're going to throw up if you do."

The four stared at him in shock, each wondering just what training the man had in store that was so rigorous they would puke if they ate.


	5. Black Cats, Passing Out and Quitting

**Yay! Chapter 5! :D Enjoy!**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**** This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Black Cats, Passing Out and Quitting

* * *

"Good morning..." Sakura groggily greeted, rubbing her eyes as she, Naruto and Sasuke walked towards each other.

"Hey..." Naruto mumbled, staggering towards the others, his eyes half-closed and bent over slightly, as though hoping that he could lean on the air and it would support him.

Sasuke said nothing, and seemed to be the only one unaffected by being up so early as he moved towards the others with long strides and his back straight, apparently wide-awake.

"Where's Ami?" Naruto questioned sleepily.

"_I'm here..._" a voice growled, and the three turned their heads to see the very girl Naruto had just asked about making her way towards them, looking like the living dead. Her baby-faced features were set in a scowl, a look of extreme grouchiness on her usually cheerful face.

"Good morning, Ami." Sakura said.

"This shouldn't even count as morning." the girl groaned, rubbing her eyes on the back of her fist, "The fucking _sun's_ not even up yet, why the hell are we?" she grumbled, scowling filthily up at the sky as though it had just insulted her.

"...Ami...?" Naruto asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

Ami slowly turned her head towards Naruto and gave him a look that really and truly, freaked him the hell out.

"I'm _perfect_ Naruto." she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Why do you ask?"

Naruto backed away, slightly nervous of his friend at the moment.

"You're not a morning person are you?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, well spotted." Ami snorted, "What do you want, a medal? Where's that idiot sensei?"

"He's not here yet." Sakura said, sounding just as irritated as she was.

"Well then, I'm going back to sleep." she growled, lying back against the tree and sliding down it. "Wake me when the lazy-ass shows."

* * *

It was ten past eleven before the sensei finally showed up, the sun high in the sky at over six hours later than arranged.

"Hey fellows." Kakashi greeted, not a hint of apology for his lateness.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura and Naruto shouted furiously in unison, as Sasuke scowled and crossed his arms.

"A black cat crossed my path so..." his voice died off as he noticed the expressions of the Genin. "W-where's the other?" he asked, hoping for a distraction. "A-Ami, wasn't it..?"

"She's there." Naruto said, pointing to the tree Ami was sleeping under, where the girl still slept peacefully.

"Ah." Kakashi called, "You there! Wake up!"

She didn't stir and continued to sleep on.

"Go wake her, will you?" Kakashi asked.

"_You_ go wake her." Naruto growled.

"Why?"

"You made us get up at five AM, then never bothered showing up yourself until eleven. She's not happy with you at the moment." Sakura said, frowning at the sensei.

"Ah, is that so? I'm definitely not going near her then, so could you?"

"No way!" Sakura said firmly.

"Ah... then..." He looked over at Sasuke, who glared back.

The two locked eyes, staring each other down, and after about a minute, Sasuke complied.

"Hn." the Uchiha grunted, before stalking over to Ami. "Get up." he commanded.

She didn't move so Sasuke rolled his eyes and moved closer, crouching down and shaking her shoulder.

"Wake up." he said.

The girl moaned in her sleep.

"Mmm... Sasuke... please..."

The raven froze.

"Put your clothes back on..."

Sasuke's face eyes widened and his mouth fell open. _'What the hell is she dreaming about?'_

Ami cracked open one eye and grinned at him. "Gotcha." she teased.

Sasuke quickly closed his mouth and scowled.

"So what do you want?" Ami questioned, before spotting Kakashi over his shoulder. "It's here then." she said frowning at the man.

"He says he's late because a black cat crossed his path." Sakura said, rolling her eyes as she spoke.

Ami snorted. "Yeah, and Naruto's gonna marry Sasuke, have a bunch of "Hn"ing little Uchiha babies, and Sakura'll be godfather."

Naruto turned slightly green. 'That's not even possible... oh, wait, that's her point.'

'What does she mean 'godfather'?' Sakura thought, furious.

All Sasuke bothered to think was; 'Idiot...'

"Oh, so you two like each other, then?" Kakashi said cheerfully, looking from Naruto to Sasuke. "That's nice, but please try to concentrate on what I teach you rather than what I'm sure is a beautiful, love-filled relationship with each other."

Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance and Naruto gagged.

Ami scowled. "And just what're you gonna teach us? A hundred and one crap lies?"

Kakashi ignored her and walked to a thick, wooden post about five feet high, where he placed an alarm clock.

"Alarm set at twelve PM." he said, pressing a switch on top of the clock before holding up three jingling bells. "Today's topic is to get one of these bells from me." He jingled the bells again. "Whoever can't will have no lunch."

Naruto squealed in dismay.

"I'm going to tie you there, and eat lunch in front of you." the sensei continued, pointing to three posts at the edge of the training ground, the centre of which bore the clock.

'So that's why he said; 'don't eat breakfast'...' the four Genin thought in unison, all feeling sick with the knowledge of how easily their sensei had tricked them. And so cruelly too.

"But wait, why are there only three bells?" Sakura asked.

"Since there's only three, at least one will have to be tied to the log." Kakashi grinned. "That person will fail since they failed to complete the mission, and go back to the academy. It might be one, or all four. You can use your shuriken. You won't be able to get this unless you have the will to kill me."

"But that's too dangerous, sensei!" Sakura declared.

"Yeah! You couldn't even dodge that chalk eraser." Naruto laughed.

"In society, those who don't have many abilities tend to complain more. Just ignore the dobe. We're going after I say 'Ready, start.'"

Naruto scowled as the word echoed in his mind.

''Dobe', 'Dobe', 'Dobe'...' He pulled a kunai out of his holster and spun it on his finger, before grabbing it in his hand and rushing at the sensei.

The Genin couldn't even see what had happened, but the next thing they knew, Kakashi was standing behind Naruto, who's own kunai was held with his right hand to the back of his neck by the calm teacher's grip, the other hand holding him firmly by his spiky, blond hair.

"Don't get so hasty." the teacher said, his voice low, "I haven't said 'start' yet."

The other Genin stepped away, intimidated by the man, and he released Naruto.

'No way... I couldn't see him at all.' Sakura thought.

'So this is a Jounin.' Sasuke thought, his brow furrowing in displeasure.

'How did he move like that?' Ami wondered, amazed.

"But, it looks like you have the will to kill me now." Kakashi said, before chuckling in amusement. "I think I can finally start liking you four. We're going to start."

The four Genin got ready to hide.

"Ready, start!"

They dispersed.

* * *

'A basic for a shinobi is to conceal his presence and hide.' Kakashi thought as he looked around for the Genin, trying to see where they were hiding.

He couldn't see them.

'Good, everyone is hidden nicely.' he thought, before a loud voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Let's have a match fair and square!" Naruto demanded loudly, standing right in front of the sensei.

Kakashi couldn't believe a person could be so stupid.

"That idiot." Sasuke thought, looking down at the pair from his hiding place amongst the tree branches.

"Hey, aren't you a little weird compared to the rest?" the sensei asked.

"What's weird is your hair style!" Naruto said, before screaming and charging at the sensei again.

Kakashi gave him a tired look, then reached into the weapons pouch on the back of his trousers.

Naruto leapt back and watched the man carefully.

"Ninja tactic know-how number one, Taijutsu." Kakashi said, "I'll teach you that first."

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw something being removed from the pouch. 'Isn't Taijutsu how a ninja fights hand-to-hand without weapons? But is he going to use a weapon?'

Kakashi pulled out a small, orange book entitled; 'Flirting Paradise' and opened it.

Naruto gawked at him.

"What's the matter? Come and get me."

"But, um, um... Why did you take out a book?" Naruto asked.

"Why? I got curious as to how the story is going to develop." Kakashi replied. "Don't worry about this. It's the same whether I read this or not."

A vein in Naruto's temple throbbed. "I'm going to pound you!" he yelled, running at the sensei.

He threw a punch that was easily blocked.

"Damn... roundhouse kick!"

He went to kick the man, but Kakashi just ducked, never taking his eyes off his book.

"Ahh, damn it!"

Naruto went to punch him, but the man had disappeared.

Once again, Kakashi had appeared behind him.

"A ninja should not let the enemy get behind him multiple times, idiot."

Sakura studied the teacher's hands; clasped together with only the middle and forefinger extended, orange book held between his palms.

'His hand posture is a... seal of the tiger? Is he going to use a high Ninjutsu against Naruto?'

Sasuke watched carefully. 'That seal is for... Fire techniques. That teacher isn't just going to run around?'

Ami frowned. 'What's going on..? I can't see, sensei has his back to me!'

Sakura jumped up from the bushes and screamed for Naruto's attention. "Naruto, run! You're going to die!"

'What!' Ami thought, eyes widening.

"You're too late." Kakashi said as Naruto looked towards the source of Sakura's voice, then turned his head back towards Kakashi, who had a strange glint in his eye. "Hidden village of Konoha's secret Taijutsu master art...!"

There was a strange, painful-sounding squelch, and Naruto looked as though he might puke.

"A Thousand Years of Pain!" Kakashi exclaimed, as he flung a screaming Naruto into the air by his fingers, which the Genin now realised, he had just stuck up Naruto's ass.

The other three were unimpressed.

"Oh, it wasn't a Ninjutsu." Sakura mumbled, feeling rather embarrassed.

"Two idiots." Sasuke groaned.

'_That_... was a 'master art'?' Ami thought, furious, 'That was a kancho prank! What sort of oddball teacher have we got!'

Naruto landed with a heavy splash in the nearby river.

Kakashi calmly opened his book again. "Let's see..."

Sasuke reached for his holster, then hesitated.

'His strength is so unfair. What are we supposed to do?' Sakura wondered.

Ami scowled. 'Dammit... I can't reach him from here.'

The Genin gasped when they saw two shuriken fly out of the water straight towards Kakashi, who caught them both through the holes in their centres on his fingers without ever looking up from his book. They continued spinning for a few seconds, then stilled and slid down his fingers.

Sasuke removed his hand from his holster.

Naruto clambered, sopping wet and coughing, out of the river.

"What's wrong? You won't get any lunch if you don't get a bell by noon." Kakashi said, his lazy voice sounding slightly taunting.

"I already know!" Naruto bleated.

"You say you're going to exceed the Hokages, but your actions say otherwise."

Naruto's stomach growled loudly.

"Damn it! Damn it! I can still fight even if I'm hungry!"

His words reminded the other Genin of their hunger as they felt their own stomachs growl.

'Dammit.' Ami thought, suddenly realizing something, 'My grandmother's a medic-nin, I live in a house with a whole _room full_ of medicine, and I didn't even think of taking soldier pills instead of food? I'm an _idiot_.'

"I was just off guard a while ago!" Naruto yelled at the sensei, who was leaving, still reading his book. He lowered his voice, talking to himself, "Damn it, I'm hungry so my powers are... but I have to get a bell no matter what. I can't... I can't fail at a place like this no matter what!"

He screamed at the teacher's back; "I'm going to become a ninja!"

Seven more Narutos burst from the water. One of them laughed. "Security is your greatest enemy! This is my best technique, the mass shadow replication!"

'What the hell?' Ami thought, ''Kage Bunshin'? 'Shadow Replication'? I've never heard of it.'

"Shadow replications instead of just a replication?" Kakashi said quietly to himself, "It must be the forbidden technique he used to beat Mizuki."

'Kakashi-sensei's saying something, but I can't hear him!' Ami thought, getting frustrated, 'What's that technique Naruto's using? What's sensei saying? What's going on?'

"Assuming from his abilities, he can only use that for a minute." Kakashi said to himself, "Even if he talks big, Naruto is still Naruto. He can't get me with that technique."

The bells at his side jingled as an eighth Naruto leaped onto his back.

"What? From behind?" the sensei exclaimed, shocked.

Naruto snickered maliciously. "'A ninja shouldn't let the enemy get behind him', right, Kakashi sensei?" he said, grinning smugly as he quoted the man's own words back to him, the other shadow clones grabbing onto the man's legs now. "I used the shadow replication, let one sneak out from the lower part of the river, and made it sneak behind you!"

Sakura, Sasuke and Ami stared on, impressed at his plan.

"I'm going to pay you back for that attack on my butt!" a Naruto, they weren't sure if it was the real one, roared, charging towards him, fist pulled back, ready to punch.

'Naruto's pretty good.' Sakura thought, grinning in admiration at the blond boy.

'A feint operation, eh?' Sasuke thought, smirking.

'I can see now! You go, Naruto!' Ami thought, beaming at the turn of events.

Naruto threw the punch and...

'The one who got hit was... Naruto?' Sakura thought blankly.

Where Kakashi had been moments before, a Naruto was now, held in his own clone's grasp, just after being punched in the face. The punched Naruto and the one holding him hit the ground hard and cried out in pain.

The offending Naruto looked shocked a moment, then yelled, "You must be Kakashi-sensei! You transformed, didn't you?"

A fight ensued between the Uzumakis, all accusing each other of being Kakashi, punching and kicking each other;

"_You_ are!"

"_You _must be!"

"You smell like Kakashi-sensei! It's the smell of an old man!"

"You old man!"

"Hey, why don't we undo the replication?" one of the Naruto's suggested whilst dodging fists. "Then two will remain and we'll know who is who!"

"Why didn't you notice that, idiot." one of the clones chided.

"You're me, idiot!"

"I'm going to undo it now!"

"Okay!"

There was a large poof of smoke as the clones disappeared, revealing...

Naruto.

Alone.

With multiple bruises and a pathetic expression.

'Naruto... looks so uncool.' Sakura thought, frowning in displeasure.

Ami cringed. 'Looks like his ego just got a punch in the face as well.'

'That was the replacement technique, idiot.' Sasuke thought, furrowing his brow. 'It's a technique when one uses an object or an animal to quickly change places with it and make the enemy think you were hit. Then you are able to attack the enemy's unguarded point. For his case, the Jounin got caught by Naruto on purpose, and quickly changed places with one of the replications of Naruto. Not only did he give the impression that he was hit... he used Naruto's attack to his advantage.'

Naruto noticed something shining out of the corner of his eye, and turned his head to get a better look. "A bell?" he exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise at the small silver ball gleaming near the base of a tree. He grinned smugly and ran towards it. "He must've been in a hurry if he dropped a bell."

'_Idiot! No!_' Ami thought, nearly crying out to the boy.

Naruto yelped in surprise as he felt himself being lifted by the ankle. A trap had been set for him with the bell as bait, and now, a thick rope was lifting him high up into the air. He bounced from side to side, swaying on the rope and screaming his head off.

'It's a trap...' Sasuke thought. 'That Jounin showed no unguarded point even when he was fighting with Naruto.

Naruto cried out in dismay, waving his arms down at the bell on the ground, as though trying to summon it up towards himself.

Kakashi walked over and calmly picked it up.

"Use your techniques after thinking carefully." he said, "You don't. That's why it was used to your disadvantage." He smiled cheerily under the mask, his single visible eye turning up at the movement. "Don't fall for an obvious trap, stupid."

Naruto, still dangling, was fuming.

"Ninjas need to think beyond the normal."

Naruto waved his arms furiously, swinging on the rope as he yelled; "I already know!"

"I'm telling you this because you don't, got it?" the teacher retorted coolly.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Your movements are filled with unnecessary motions." Kakashi continued.

'This is my chance!' Sasuke realised, pulling out several shuriken and kunai and throwing them towards the sensei. 'He finally dropped his guard!'

"You're so... oh..?" Kakashi said, as he saw the weapons out of the corner of his eye.

They pierced the side of his body.

Sakura gasped.

Naruto screamed in horror. "He got hit! Sasuke, you bastard! You overdid it!"

"_Sasuke!_" Ami shrieked, "You _crazy shithead_!"

Kakashi flew towards the ground, blood trailing behind him in the air.

Sasuke's eyes widened as with a poof of smoke, Kakashi vanished.

Stuck full of the Uchiiha's weapons, a thick log fell in his place.

'A substitution?' Ami thought, running out from the tree to hide elsewhere, 'Shit, I yelled. He'll find me here. I have to move, and _now_!"

She almost screamed when she saw the sensei standing right in front of her, nose still buried in his book.

She clapped her hands together, instantly making three hand signs.

"Suiton, Mizu Buyou no Jutsu!" She placed her left hand on the water pouch at her hip and pulled the liquid out in a long, rope shape, which she then swung at the teacher.

Kakashi ducked, and before Ami was even sure what had happened, he was in front of her and gave her a light hit in the stomach with a chakra-filled hand.

Ami screeched in agony, then her eyes rolled back in her head as she dropped to her knees and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Kakashi tapped the girl's side with his foot and cringed slightly. "Oops." 'I forgot. This girl uses water techniques. Looks like she's weaker to lightning chakra than I thought.' He looked at her a moment, feeling slightly guilty, then shrugged it off and left. 'Oh well. She'll wake up in half an hour anyway.'

Sasuke scowled as he leaped through the trees to change his hiding spot. 'Damn it, he used another replacement? He must have determined my location from that shuriken attack.' He sprung off a branch, launching himself forward. 'He dropped his guard on purpose. I fell for his trap.'

'There he is.' Kakashi thought, peering through the leaves of a tree at the thirteen-year-old boy.

Sakura ran through the forest hurriedly.

'Where is Sasuke-kun?' she thought worriedly, 'Did sensei already get him..? No, that can't happen to Sasuke-kun.' She gasped in shock and immediately dropped to the floor when she saw her sensei barely fifteen feet away from her, down below the small ridge of land she was hiding on, reading his book calmly.

'I'm safe! He didn't notice me.' Sakura thought, her fear dropping slightly.

"Sakura, behind you." a lazy voice said.

Sakura spun her head round so quickly she felt her neck crick.

Kakashi was squatting right behind her.

A loud scream echoed through the wood.

* * *

"'Ninjas need to think beyond the normal'?" Naruto growled, still hanging upside down by his feet in the tree. "Damn it, I'm never going to fall for his traps again." He bent upwards and cut the rope he was hanging by with a kunai.

He spun and landed in a crouching position on the ground, then grinned in triumph, before he felt a small tug at his left ankle and was swiftly yanked up into the air once again.

"I fell for it!" he exclaimed in anger, kicking his legs in frustration.

* * *

Kakashi made a single hand sign and a flurry of leaves spun around Sakura, whose eyes went hazy, and then he was gone. Sakura stood alone in a small, shaded area of woodland.

"What?" Sakura said, blinking in confusion and looking around, seeming rather eccentric and confused, eyes wide and speaking quickly, as though she were slightly insane, "What was that? Hey, where did sensei go?" She was now gripping her head, looking downright unstable, "What's going on? What the-?"

A voice she recognised as Sasuke's spoke to her from behind a tree. "Sakura..."

Sakura spun around, looking like a happy little puppy.

Sasuke was kneeling in front of her, holding onto a tree trunk for support, covered in his own blood as it pooled out around him, arms legs, back and sides stuck full of kunai. He was clearly on the verge of death.

"Sakura... H-help me..."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror and her smile vanished instantly. Her face turned pale as she tried to comprehend the image in front of her. Tears of terror and devastation welled up in her eyes and she let loose a screech of anguish, before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

Up in a tree, Kakashi turned a page in his orange book. "Maybe I overdid it." he mumbled absent-mindedly, "But she should have noticed if it's real or not."

* * *

Over in a different part of the forest, perfectly fine, Sasuke turned towards the source of the noise.

'That must have been Sakura's voice.' he thought.

Ringing bells sounded though the air.

"Ninja tactics know-how number two, Genjutsu." Kakashi said calmly. "Sakura fell for it so easily."

"Genjutsu, eh?" Sasuke said, "A type of hallucinatory mind-controlling technique. It's no wonder if she fell for it easily. But... I'm different from them."

"Why don't you say that after you get a bell." Kakashi said from behind him, leaning against a tree. He walked towards the boy. "Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke turned to face him, mouth set in a thin, determined line.

The two watched each other a moment, then Sasuke slowly bent down to his pouch and holster and cast a shuriken and kunai at the teacher.

Kakashi easily leapt out of the way. "There's no use in just using normal attacks."

Sasuke smirked and threw a kunai in the air, cutting a rope.

"A trap?" Kakashi realised, leaping out of the way as several kunai shot towards him.

As he slid to a stop, Sasuke appeared behind him. "What?"

Sasuke aimed a kick at the teacher's head with his left leg, which Kakashi blocked with his left arm, before grabbing it with his right. Sasuke then went to punch him with his right arm, which Kakashi also grabbed. Sasuke then went to kick his head again with his still free right leg, which Kakashi had to let go of his arm to block. Sasuke, now held upside-down by his feet, went to grab one of the bells off Kakashi's side. His finger just brushed it as Kakashi leapt back, releasing him.

Sasuke scowled in annoyance as he landed on his feet.

'What a guy.' Kakashi thought, also having landed, 'I don't have time to read Flirting Paradise.'

* * *

Sakura stirred and sat up, feeling rather disorientated. 'Huh? What was I...' She suddenly noticed that her legs were wide open and cried out in embarrassment as she shut them. Then she remembered. 'Oh yes, I saw Sasuke-kun badly injured and I...' She leapt to her feet. "Sasuke-kun! Don't die and leave me behind! Where are you?"

* * *

Naruto groaned as he swung slightly, his arms folded in annoyance. After hanging upside down in the tree for so long, his ankle had become rather sore, and all the blood rushing to his head was really starting to hurt. He looked down and saw something that caught his eye.

A small, blue-green, stone memorial.

"So that's how it looks behind the logs." he said to himself.

His eyes widened and he laughed with joy. On the rock monument, were three boxed lunches.

"There's lunch on the rock!" he laughed. "'Ninjas need to think beyond the normal', eh?"

He snickered.

* * *

"I'll admit that you're different from those three." Kakashi said.

Sasuke grunted, shifted into a fighting stance, then made several hand seals, the last being the one they had earlier thought Kakashi was going to use.

'Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!' Sasuke thought as he gathered his chakra in his chest.

'What?' Kakashi thought, 'That technique isn't something a Genin can do. He shouldn't have enough chakra!'

Sasuke proved him wrong as he exhaled a huge ball of flame at the sensei, burning and cracking the ground, creating a large crater in the earth. The flame dissipated and Sasuke's eyes widened.

'He's gone!' he thought, frantically looking around himself, 'Is he behind me? No, above? Where is he?'

"Beneath you!" came Kakashi's muffled voice from below his feet. A gloved hand shot up and grabbed his leg.

Sasuke looked down, horrified that he had been caught.

"Doton Shinjuuzanshu no Jutsu!"

Chunks of earth went flying as Sasuke was pulled down and roared.

Kakashi crouched down in from of the boy, who was now buried up to his neck in the ground and said; "This is the third ninja tactics know-how, Ninjutsu."

Sasuke made a small sound of annoyance.

"How is it? Can't move right?"

The boy gave a small grunt and turned his head away from the teacher.

"Looks like your talents are exceptional." Kakashi said lazily, standing up and walking away, "But they say that stakes that point out get driven back into the ground."

Sasuke cursed.

* * *

Ami awoke to a slight pain in her abdomen. She blinked a few times, trying to clear away the confusion in her brain and blurring in her vision, then tried to gather her thoughts as to what had happened.

'Where am I?' she thought dozily, then remembered and tried to sit up, scowling at the aches in her body. 'That's right... I'm doing survival training... trying to get a bell from Kakashi sensei... How did I black out again..?' She thought another moment, and it came to her. 'He electrocuted me...' She winced as another pain shot through her stomach. "Dammit... Shit! What time is it!" She pushed herself up, wobbling slightly on her feet and gripped a tree for support. Once her legs had stopped shaking enough, she staggered towards the alarm clock. 'Eleven-thirty... I've been out for... roughly fifteen minutes? There's still twenty-five left though! I'm not giving up now!'

* * *

Naruto giggled, rubbing his hands together as he sat in front of the lunches. "All I have to do is eat this while hiding instead of getting a bell. Itadakimasu!"

"Hey."

Naruto jumped in shock at the sound of the sensei.

"That was a joke and..." he mumbled lamely.

"_Too late._"

* * *

Sasuke glared at the ground around him, trying to think of a way to get out.

'Damn it, we're this different..?'

A rustle in the bushes caught his attention and Sakura came dashing out, freezing when she saw Sasuke.

Sasuke watched in confusion as the girl looked at him, looked at the sky as though asking '_Please,_ no', then looked back at him, seeming terrified.

"Sakura." Sasuke said.

The girl let loose a shriek. "_NOW IT'S A SEVERED HEAD!_" She collapsed on the ground, fainting, for the second time that day.

Sasuke stared at the pink-haired girl, utterly bewildered. "What's wrong with her?"

* * *

Ami had just come across a rather strange sight. So strange, that she had made herself check it wasn't a Genjutsu.

Several times.

Sasuke was buried up to his neck in the ground, his spiky, black hair looking like a small, oddly-shaped bush. Sakura was lying spread-eagled on the ground in front of him, foaming at the mouth.

Ami checked for Kakashi, but couldn't see him, so she tentatively walked out.

"What did you _do_ to her?" Ami asked, nodding towards the gibbering, unconscious mess that was Sakura as she spoke to the blinking head, Sasuke.

"Nothing. I said her name."

Ami gave him a look that said; 'Are you serious?' then looked at the girl again. "Maybe you should avoid doing that." she said austerely, "I mean, I get that she fancies you, but _fainting _when you say her _name_?" She sighed at Sakura, walked up, and closed her legs. 'If it was; 'I want to fuck you.' I could understand, but your _name_? Seriously, Sakura.'

"Well... she screamed something about a severed head... I think..?"

"And I thought her hair was the weirdest thing about her."

Ami looked at Sasuke again and a grin slowly spread across her face. 'Hmm... the game 'Whack-A-Mole' springs to mind.'

"Um... hey?" Sasuke said.

"What?"

"..._Guess_."

Ami decided to play dumb. 'I know what he wants, but I'm going to make him say it.'

There was silence.

"What do you need, Sasuke?" Ami pressed. "If you don't speak up soon, I'm leaving. I need to go get a bell."

"You wouldn't be able to get one anyway, _Nami_." Sasuke scowled.

Ami's eye twitched. 'Naruto's 'dead last', and now, I'm 'average'?' She turned. "Well, you don't seem to need anything, so I guess I'll just leave. You've got Sakura, there, anyway."

"...Help me out, will you?" Sasuke muttered, glaring at the ground, embarrassed at having to ask for assistance.

Ami turned back, her jaw dropped in mock surprise. "What's this? The _mighty Uchiha Sasuke_, needs _help _from an _average_ ninja like _me_? My, my, what could _I_ possibly do to help _you_, Sasuke-sama?"

"Oh, shut up and help me."

Ami knelt down in front of him and smirked. "Hello, Mr. Mole."

"Quit messing around and just get me out of this, will you?" Sasuke growled.

Ami smirked, but complied nonetheless. "You might want to close your eyes."

"... No." the boy replied indefinitely, a glare firmly in place.

"...Why not?" Ami asked, genuinely confused.

"...I don't trust you."

There was a moment of silence.

"...huh?"

Sasuke kept his glare.

"What do you think I'll do, draw on your face?" Ami exclaimed, truly offended.

Sasuke just continued to glare.

Ami felt her eye twitch. 'You difficult prick...' "Fine! Just don't move or I could injure you." she growled, before making a few hand signs and slamming her palms on the ground. "Suiton: Mizu Tekishutsu no Jutsu!"

A bubble of water rose up slowly out of the ground, grass withering and soil turning to dust from the lack of moisture as it came. Sasuke froze and felt the earth loosen further as more water was extracted, afraid to even breath because of the motion, then exhaled in relief and pulled himself free when Ami lifted her palms and nodded with a small "Okay."

She helped him along by digging around his shoulders with her hands.

He finally got out of the hole and rubbed his eye.

Ami smirked knowingly. "You got dust in your eye didn't you? That's why I told you to close them."

"Hn."

"Nice and gritty isn't it?"

"Shut up."

Ami watched him a moment, chewing her lip in thought.

"...What?" Sasuke demanded.

"...How about a truce? I'd rather have you than Sakura. I mean, look at her." she said, pointing towards the girl lying on the ground, having fainted once again. "You're a jerk, but at least you'd be useful." She turned away from him as she looked around, for any signs of the other two; Naruto and Kakashi. "What do you say, Sasu- _guh_?" Ami felt a sharp blow to the back of her head, and felt her body drop to the ground, as her vision turned black as darkness ate away at its edges, like some sort of vicious computer virus. A voice echoed through her brain, sounding far off as she felt herself slipping.

_"Thanks for helping me out, but I don't need allies. You can go back to the academy with the other losers."_

Ami tried to look, but her eyelids were too heavy.

'_...bastard..._'

She was out.

* * *

Ami was woken in a lovely fashion.

Sakura slapped her across the face.

"Argh! What the _fuck!_" the brown-haired girl screeched, holding her stinging cheek.

"Shut up." Sakura growled, then changed her voice to that sickeningly sweet tone Ami hated. "Do you know where Sasuke-kun went?"

Ami's temple throbbed as she ground her teeth, remembering what the boy had done to her. 'I'll kill him... that's the second time today I've been knocked out!'

"Ami? Answer me!" Sakura whined, pulling on her hair and yanking the girl from her thoughts.

Ami looked at Sakura and scowled in annoyance. "I don't know, but if you find him, tell him I want to crush his head in a vice. What time is it?"

"I don't know."

"Well, isn't that more important than where that _backstabbing prick_ is?"

"_Don't speak to me like that!_"

"_I'll speak to you however I want!_"

A ringing noise pierced their argument.

"Don't tell me... that was the alarm clock... You've got to be joking..." Ami dropped her head in defeat.

She wanted to cry.

'There's no more time...'

* * *

The two girls made their way back to the training grounds, silence between them.

They were met with the sight of Kakashi taunting the boys, Naruto tied to the log, Sasuke sitting on the ground, a look of contempt on his face.

Ami bared her teeth in rage at the sight of the Uchiha. 'I could _murder _him.'

"Ah, there you are, girls. Sit down." Kakashi said.

"_I could rip your eyes out, Uchiha!_"

"Ami, calm down and sit."

Ami dropped to the ground between Sakura and the tied Naruto, glaring daggers at Sasuke.

"You're a _shit_, you know that?" she snarled.

"It's not my fault you're a _naive idiot_." Sasuke replied bluntly.

"I _helped _you, _bastard_!"

"Fat lot of good it did you, didn't it?" Naruto piped up.

"I _know_! Sitting there flicking _rocks_ at his head would've been more productive!"

"To be honest _Nami, _I really don't care what you think of me."

"_I'll slit your throat!_"

The Genin's stomachs rumbled.

"Your stomachs are growling, eh?" Kakashi said, "By the way, about the results of this training..."

The Genin looked at him.

"None of you need to return to the Ninja Academy."

Naruto grinned widely.

Sakura was confused. "What? But all I did was faint. Was that okay?" 'All right! Love prevails!'

Ami dropped her head and remained silent, 'That's all I did... I really am on the same level as Sakura... At least I passed though. I still hate Sasuke, but maybe I can leave him behind on a mission. If Sakura complains too much, I can always mysteriously lose _her _too.' She grinned. 'I still passed.'

Sasuke smirked in satisfaction.

Sakura jumped up and down, dancing and cheering as Ami hugged Naruto around the neck in joy, as the blond began waving his legs around, laughing in triumph.

"Does that mean we four..?"

Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Yeah, you three... _should quit being ninjas!_"

* * *

**Suiton: Mizu Tekishutsu no Jutsu = Water Element: Water Extraction Technique**

**Suiton, Mizu Buyou no Jutsu = Water element: Water Dance Technique**

**By the way, in case of any misunderstanding, there was lightning in the Chakra Kakashi attacked Ami with. It was very weak, but it was there. He didn't mean to knock her out, hence his surprise at her fainting despite how weak it was. **

**Also, I know the order of elements is wrong, but my way makes more sense, so let's roll with it. :3 **

**Naruto Way: Fire Wind Lightning Earth Water Fire**

**My Way: Fire Wind Earth Lightning Water Fire**


	6. Scum, Missions and Clients

**I don't own Naruto. ****It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

**My head is fried... _EXAMS. _D:**

**Hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

Scum, Missions and Clients

* * *

The cheering stopped instantly as the Genin each looked at the man in horror.

"Quit being ninjas! What do you mean!" Naruto demanded, waving his legs furiously and straining against the ropes binding him, "We couldn't get a bell, but why do you have to say we should quit!"

"It's because you four are just kids who don't even deserve to be ninjas." Kakashi said artlessly.

Something changed in Sasuke's face and he flew at the man. Before he even knew what had happened, Kakashi was sitting on top of him, pinning his arm behind his back and stepping on his head.

"That's why you are all just kids." Kakashi said tiredly.

"Don't step on Sasuke-kun!" Sakura snarled furiously.

"Do you guys think being a ninja is easy?" Kakashi asked, his single visible eyebrow turned downwards in annoyance.

"That's not true! Give us another chance!" Ami begged, "We can do it!"

"You say 'we'. Why do you think we're training by breaking up into groups?"

Ami blinked at him. "Huh?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"In summary, you four don't understand the answer of this test."

"Answer?" Naruto repeated blankly.

"That's right. The answer to determine whether you pass or fail." Kakashi said.

"We've been asking what that is..." Sakura said.

"Geez, are your brains empty? You don't understand why you're all in a group?"

Naruto yelled in annoyance. "So what about three people being in a group?"

"Teamwork."

The Genin felt as though the man had just slapped them across the face.

It was so obvious.

"You mean, cooperate with each other?" Sakura asked, stunned.

"That's right. But it's too late even if you notice now." Kakashi said, his eye narrowing, "If all three of you had come at me at once, maybe you could have gotten a bell. But that's too bad."

"Why do we need to use teamwork when there are only three bells?" Sakura asked, "If three people work hard to get it, one person will have to bite the bullet. A group conflict will occur instead of teamwork."

"Of course. This test tries to put you three against each other." Kakashi growled. "In this situation, we select those who can prioritize teamwork before themselves. That was the purpose, but all of you were pathetic. _Sakura!_" he barked suddenly, causing the girl to jump. "You cared more about Sasuke than Naruto, even though Naruto was right in front of you and you didn't know where Sasuke was."

The girl lowered her head in embarrassment.

"_Naruto! _All you did was work on your own."

Naruto bit his lip and grimaced at the ground.

Kakashi pressed his foot down harder onto the back of Sasuke's head.

"Sasuke! You assumed that the others were only going to burden you and tried to do everything by yourself, even going as far as to knock out your own teammate after she helped you, just because she offered a truce!"

Sasuke looked as though he wasn't sure whether he should be mad with the teacher or himself.

"Bastard." Ami grunted.

"Ami!" Kakashi continued, making the girl jump, "Although you came closest to the understanding of this test when you offered a truce with Sasuke, you worried about the others too much and you didn't focus at all! Arguing with Sakura and teasing Sasuke were stupid things to do, and wasted time!"

The brunette bit her lip, angry and disappointed in herself.

"Missions are done in groups. It's true that ninjas need well-developed individual abilities, but it's teamwork that is much more important. An individual action that disrupts the teamwork will result in danger or even death for the teammates. For example;"

He reached into his weapons pouch, pulled out a kunai and held it to Sasuke's throat. "Sakura! Kill Naruto, or Sasuke's going to die!"

Naruto's eyes widened in terror and Sakura gasped. Ami pulled out a kunai but froze, not knowing who to aim for.

'Do I attack Kakashi and try to save Sasuke? What if Sakura goes for Naruto meanwhile?'

Thankfully, she never had to decide, as Kakashi removed the blade from the boy's throat.

"That's what will happen." he said, "After getting someone taken hostage, you will be faced with a difficult decision, and someone will die." Kakashi said, spinning the kunai on his finger then placing it back in its pouch. He stepped off of Sasuke.

"In every mission, you put your life on the line." He walked over to the blue-green memorial. "Look at this... the numerous names carved into this stone. All these names are those praised as heroes in this village."

"I like that! I like that! I've decided that I'm going to have my name carved into that!" Naruto said eagerly, "A hero! A hero! I'm not going to die in a useless death!"

"But they're not normal heroes." Kakashi said calmly.

"So what kind of heroes were they?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi was silent, facing away from the boy.

"Come on, tell me." Naruto pressed.

"Those who were K.I.A." the man replied heavily.

Naruto looked confused. "K.I.A?"

"Those who were killed in action." Sakura clarified quietly.

Naruto's smile faded, and he looked down at the ground in discomfort as he realised just how tactless his words had been.

Sasuke's brow furrowed.

Ami bowed her head. 'My father's name must be carved there.'

"This is a cenotaph." Kakashi said lowly. "The names of my friends are carved in here as well."

The Genin were silent.

"...I'll give you one more chance." Kakashi said, turning back towards them, "However, the battle for the bell will be much harsher after lunch. Eat lunch only if you are up to the challenge. But don't let Naruto eat."

The blond squealed in dismay.

"This is punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat lunch early." the sensei said, walking towards them, "If anyone feeds him, the person will immediately fail."

Naruto whimpered.

"I'm the rule here. Got it?" Kakashi said gruffly.

* * *

Although they had to admit that eating felt good, it was a bittersweet feeling for the others with the sound of Naruto's stomach growling in their ears.

"I'm okay even if I don't eat!" Naruto declared. "I'm okay-" They weren't sure if he was trying to convince them or himself as he was interrupted by his own gut. "I'm... okay..."

'Dammit...' Ami thought, swallowing guiltily. 'I'm sorry Naruto. I really want to feed you... but...'

"Here." Sasuke said, holding his lunch out the boy.

Naruto dropped his jaw along with the others.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out in surprise, before lowering her voice in realization that their sensei might hear her. "Sensei just said..."

Ami gawked. 'Sasuke... you knocked me out a while ago for suggesting a truce... but you're willing to risk failing this test and being sent back to the academy, or maybe even being made quit as a ninja... to feed Naruto, now?'

"Don't worry. I don't sense him nearby. We four are going to get the bells together. It's only going to be trouble if he's hungry."

"Sasuke-kun..."

Ami's mouth fell wide open. The brunette slammed her head against one of the logs and the others whipped their heads around at the noise. "I'm sorry Naruto..." she mumbled as she pulled back her head. "I'm a terrible friend... even _Sasuke's_ a better friend than I am..." She held out her lunch as well. "I'm not even hungry anymore. Just sickened with myself. Eat."

"Ami..."

Sakura gulped, then held her boxed lunch out to the boy as well.

"Sakura-chan... Thanks..." Naruto said gratefully, his eyes brimming with tears of happiness.

"You don't need to thank me, just eat. Hurry." Sakura said, looking up at him.

"But, um..." Naruto said uncertainly.

"It's fine. I'm on a diet-_I mean I eat less than Sasuke-kun!_ So don't worry about it."

"But... see?" Naruto said, pulling at his ropes and showing that he could barely move his arms, never mind eat.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched furiously.

"Just do it, Sakura." Ami grunted.

"Hurry. We don't know when he's going to return." Sasuke said.

Sakura's eyebrow was still twitching as she picked up a lump of rice with the chopsticks. "Listen, I'm only going to do this once. You understand?"

"I understand." Naruto said smiling happily.

'He likes her doesn't he?' Ami thought. 'No wonder he's enjoying this so much. Strange taste, but whatever makes him happy I guess.'

Sakura held the chopsticks up to Naruto, who happily took it. The pink-haired girl frowned in disgust.

There was a huge explosion of smoke and gusting wind, and their sensei leaped out of the cloud. "YOU FOUR!" he shouted, raging under the mask.

Naruto screamed and frantically began to wiggle underneath his bonds, looking like some sort of spastic worm.

Sakura screamed and brought her arms up in front of her chest, trying to protect herself from the whirling winds, pink hair flying around her face.

Ami cried out then jumped up and raised her fists. She was terrified but trying not to let it show. She wasn't succeeding.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, a worried and irritated expression on his pale face.

"You four broke the rule. Are you ready for the punishment?" Kakashi asked, voice stern and angry. He made three hand signs and dark lightning clouds formed overhead. "Any last words?"

Ami dropped her hands and fell to her knees, shaking in terror of the dark clouds. '_Oh shit... oh shit... oh shit... lightning... thunder... that'll kill me... he's going to kill me... OH GOD..._"

Sakura was beside her, hands over her head, trembling with fear.

Sasuke's teeth remained gritted, but his apprehension level had clearly risen.

Naruto's teeth were chattering. "B-but..."

"_Hah?_" Kakashi asked angrily, urging him to continue.

"But... but... but! You said...! That's why these guys..."

"We're a team, right?" Sasuke said, helping him along.

Sakura stopped shaking and jerked her head up. "Yeah! We four are one!"

Ami was still shuddering, but raised her head and shakily agreed. "We-we're... meant to... wo-work together... a t-team..."

"Yeah! Yeah, yeah yeah!" Naruto yelled.

"You four are one, eh?" Kakashi said.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura's faces were no longer fearful. They were set and determined. Ami still looked slightly sick, but fixed all the same. Both she and Sakura had stopped shaking.

"You pass!" Kakashi said, grinning happily under the black fabric covering his face.

Naruto, Sakura and Ami's eyes widened and their mouths fell open. Sasuke however, was still skeptical, and his face didn't soften.

"You pass." Kakashi repeated.

"Pass? Why?" Sakura asked.

The sky began clearing and Ami started to relax again.

"You three are the first." Kakashi said. "People I had previously were blockheads who only listened to what I said. 'Ninjas need to think beyond the normal'. In the world of ninjas, those who break the rules are called scum. But those who don't take care of their friends are worse scum."

Ami sighed in relief and released a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. She laughed.

Sakura's face broke out in a huge smile.

Naruto felt his eyes brimming.

Sasuke smirked.

"He's... He's kind of cool." Naruto said, tearing up in admiration of his sensei.

"The training ends here." Kakashi said. "Everyone passes! The seventh group will start doing missions starting tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!" Sakura said happily, still grinning widely.

Sasuke was silent, his only response being a barely audible grunt, but seemed content.

Ami was beside him, slightly pale, but smiling and laughing quietly. 'I did it... We did it.'

"I did it! I'm a ninja, ninja, ninja!" Naruto yelled, crying in happiness.

"Let's go home." Kakashi said.

The Genin followed the man as he headed back, Sasuke smug, Sakura smiling, Ami still chuckling. Naruto however, was left behind, still tied to the tree, screaming furiously for the others to come back and free him.

"We'll come back in a few minutes." Kakashi whispered to Sakura, who giggled.

* * *

Ami entered the ryokan smiling, but sighed slightly as she looked around herself.

"This place is filthy." she mumbled, "We're not able to clean it by ourselves."

"Sis?"

Ami turned her head. Her sister was standing in a doorway behind her, looking nervous.

Am grinned widely. "No worries, Aiko. We all passed the test. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and I."

The girl's face lit up and she rushed at the sister, then hugged her around the legs, squealing in delight. She squawked as Ami dropped to the floor.

"Sis! Are you okay!"

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired." the elder sister mumbled blearily. 'And had the crap scared out of me by that teacher. I'd probably be feeling sky-high if it hadn't been for that storm fright.' she thought. "Where's Grandma?"

"She's in the lobby."

Ami walked in and found the woman sleeping on the couch.

She chuckled. 'Grandma's drooling.'

The old woman twitched awake at the noise. "Hmm?"

"Sorry. I woke you." Ami said guiltily.

The woman wiped her mouth and licked her lips. "Did you pass?"

The brunette grinned. "Yeah! We've got our first mission tomorrow."

Hamako smiled. "Congratulations."

* * *

The next several days were, unfortunately, disappointing for the Genin.

"I'm not happy with that!"

Ami sighed, although she couldn't help but agree with Naruto.

She had also been excited to be getting missions, but all the ones they had gotten so far had been either horrible, boring, or a combination of the two. In the last three days, the four of them had been stuck planting rice in fields, digging ditches, and filling in for sick workers at a tea shop, none of which seemed like anything that ninja would do.

Ami had especially hated the tea shop, mainly because she had hoped that they would be able to hide in the kitchen, but no, they had been ordered to go out to serve customers and were even made wear the uniforms. It wasn't that the uniforms were bad-looking or anything. As a matter of fact, the black dress pants and white shirts with Chinese-style buttons actually looked very nice on the boys, and while Naruto received some nice compliments, poor Sasuke was tormented endlessly by a group of squealing fan girls who had, unfortunately for him, picked that particular day to go out for tea. She and Sakura meanwhile had both worn white dresses for their uniforms with black floral patterns, black Chinese buttons and black, decorated clips, holding their hair up in ponytails, both looking rather nice. The problem started when a group of the guys from their class turned up and began making fun of them, but things really got bad when in what was either a moment of extreme bravery or extreme stupidity, Kiba smacked Sakura's rear and said girl dropped her tray of tea on the floor, before spinning around and slamming her fist into the Inuzuka's face. Havoc ensued, during which people screamed as they tore out of the disintegrating tea shop, as Sakura proceeded to pummel Kiba, with Naruto and Sasuke trying to pull her off, Ami screaming at Kakashi to help, who simply answered with: "I'd love to but I'm much too busy." What had Kakashi been doing that he was so busy with, you ask? What he had done on all their missions so far.

He sat and read porn in the corner.

Today, they had had the job of finding a rich lady's lost cat, and while they succeeded, Naruto was furious about the fact that he had nearly had his face clawed off by the feline and had nearly burst Kakashi's eardrum when he screamed furiously into the microphone: "ISN'T THERE A MORE EXCITING MISSION WE CAN WORK ON?".

"That cat's getting what he deserves." Naruto snickered, watching with great satisfaction as the huge woman almost smothered the cat in a hug when it was returned. She was a loud woman, caked in makeup and jewellery, her fat, sausage-like fingers with magenta nail polish covered in gold rings, massive rocks imbedded in the precious metal.

"Oh, my cute Tora-chan!" the woman cried in joy as she crushed the unfortunate animal in arms like boneless hams, "Mommy was so worried about you!"

Ami felt slightly sorry for the creature as she watched it being cuddled by the monstrous lady. She would be scared, never mind the cat.

"No wonder he ran away." Sakura sighed.

"Now then," the Hokage began, "Kakashi's seventh unit's next mission is..."

'Please don't suck, please don't suck, please don't suck-' Ami began chanting in her head like a mantra.

"Baby-sitting Yojyu-sama's boy, grocery shopping at the neighbouring town, helping dig up potatoes at-"

"NO!" Naruto yelled suddenly, causing Ami to jump at the sudden noise, "No thanks to all of those! I want a more exciting mission! Choose something else!"

'Yes, please.' Ami thought.

'There's some truth to that.' Sasuke thought.

'What a troublesome guy.' Sakura growled internally.

Kakashi sighed to himself. 'I knew he was going to do this soon.'

"Idiot!" Iruka yelled angrily, "You're still a novice ninja! Everyone needs to start with the easy missions to gain experience!"

"Honestly Iruka-sensei," Ami piped up, "These 'missions' seem more like the leftover jobs that no one wants to do."

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto yelled in agreement, "We've only been doing dumb missions lately-GACK!"

He was silenced by Kakashi punching him in the back of the head.

"Cut it out." the silver-haired man said lazily.

The blond sat up, snivelling and rubbing his head.

"Naruto." the Hokage, Sarutobi said, "It looks like I have to explain to you what missions are. Listen, a lot of clients come to this village every day. They request things from babysitting to assassinations. On the request list, a variety of things are listed, and they are separated into ranks A, B, C and D according to difficulty. In this village, we separate the people into Jounins, Chuunins and Genins according to their abilities. We higher official assign the mission to ninja with the appropriate abilities. And if we complete the mission, we receive a fee from the client."

As he said this, the wife of the Country of Fire's Feudal Lord, Madam Shijimi, made her way to the desk still hugging the cat tightly and set down a huge wad of money on the wooden surface.

"You have all become Genins just recently, so D ranked missions are best for you."

As it turned out, Naruto was completely ignoring him, along with the other three Genin and their sensei, finding it more interesting to listen to Naruto as he sat and the ground facing the other way, and told them about his plans for dinner.

"I had tonkotsu ramen yesterday, so I'm going to eat a miso ramen today-"

"_Listen!_" Sarutobi ordered.

"Ah, I am sorry." Kakashi said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Naruto turned around without getting off the floor, spinning on his ass. "You always lecture me like that, pops. I'm not the kid who used to pull pranks anymore!" Naruto complained, before pouting, and then turned back around in a huff, cheeks pushed out and arms and legs crossed tightly.

Kakashi sighed. 'I'm going to get scolded later...'

Iruka stared a moment then smiled in amusement, while Sarutobi chewed his pipe and chuckled.

'He was only able to express himself through pranks, but...' "Alright, I understand."

The Genin looked up at him in confusion.

"If you insist... I will allow you to take on a C ranked mission. It's to escort a certain person."

"Really?" Naruto laughed happily, "Who, who? The feudal lord? Or a princess?"

"Don't get so hasty." Sarutobi said, "I'll introduce him now." He called to the door. "Can you please come in now?"

The four children and Kakashi all turned curiously towards the door.

A man walked in.

"What? They're all kids!" he slurred gruffly, before taking a swig from the sake bottle in his hand.

The Genin studied him. He was a man of about fifty with greying hair and a beard. His glasses had slipped down his nose whilst intoxicated. A white rope was tied around his head, and he wore a green tunic, beige trousers and a rucksack. He leaned against the door, his tanned face flushed and eyes cloudy and unfocused. "Hey, is the smallest one there with the idiotic face really a ninja?"

Naruto laughed. "Who's the smallest one with the idiotic face?" he asked, glancing between himself, Sasuke, Sakura and Ami.

The other three stepped up beside him as he compared their heights.

The penny dropped and Naruto realised who was shortest.

"I'm going to kill you!" he screeched, trying to run at the man with Kakashi holding him back by his collar.

"Don't kill the man you're supposed to escort." the sensei sighed.

The man took another drink from the bottle before speaking. "I am the bridge building expert, Tazuna. Once I have returned to my country, I will have all of you protect my life with yours while I complete the bridge."

"We're going out of the country!" Ami whispered, beaming as she nudged Naruto beside her, who grinned back widely.

"This is gonna be awesome!" the blond giggled back.

* * *

"You're going to the land of the Waves?" Hamako questioned, looking worried.

"Yeah." Ami said, pulling on her rucksack.

"When'll you be back?" Aiko asked, pouting at her sister's lack of forewarning.

"Not sure. Soon, though." Ami said, petting her sister's head gently.

Aiko looked sourly at the floor, glaring at the tatami.

"Hey, when I get back, I'll help you practise water techniques." Ami said.

Aiko beamed at the promise. "You mean it?!"

Ami nodded and the seven year old threw her arms around her sister's legs.

"You're the best!"

Hamako sighed softly. "Alright then. You're a ninja, it's your job. Have a safe trip, Ami."

"Yeah! Have a safe trip!" Aiko giggled.

"I'll see you when you get back, Ami. Have fun!"

"I will." the young kunoichi said, waving to her family as she left the inn and headed down the stone steps.

"What will we do while Ami's gone, Grandma?" Aiko asked.

"Well, how about tomorrow we go to the garden centre? We could plant some nice flowers in the garden as a surprise for Ami when she gets back." Hamako suggested.

Aiko grinned eagerly. "Yeah! I like that idea! Let's do that!"


	7. Businessmen, Sharingan and Mists

**Woo, new chapter! :D I've just gotten my Easter holidays, which is awesome! :D But I have also gotten lots of mid-term homework, which is not awesome. D: Plus there's like, four feet of snow outside, so I can't go anywhere either. D:  
**

**Anyway, I don't know if I gave Sakura a line that some may consider a little _too_ vulgar, but I figured it was about time she got the chance to get Ami back, as Ami is bitchy to her quite a lot, and Sakura never really deserves it. She likes fangirling Sasuke, Ami doesn't, and even though she doesn't agree with Sakura, it still doesn't give her the right to treat her the way she does. D: She made a promise with Naruto and just kinda forgot about it. So for once, let's put the boot on the other foot. :D Ami deserves a slap.**

**In regards to her relationship with Sasuke, do you think that it seems to be improving at all? I'd like to hear your thoughts. :)**

******I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Businessmen, Sharingan and Mists

* * *

The sky was mostly clear with only a few clouds. A warm, sunny day as team seven and Tazuna the bridge-builder stood outside the huge wooden gates of the entrance to Konohagakure with rucksacks, Tazuna wearing a large coolie hat.

Ami squinted and raised her hand up in front of her face, trying to shield her eyes against the bright sun.

"All right! Let's go!" Naruto yelled, running out in front, spinning around and grinning widely, arms raised high in the air.

"What are you all excited for?" Sakura asked.

The boy was looking around energetically.

"It's because I've never been outside the village before! Isn't this awesome, Ami?"

Ami smiled. "Naruto, my family and I just moved here." she said, lowering her hand, "And it's not like we just materialized. We had to get here somehow."

"Hey," Tazuna grunted, pointing at the blond boy, "will a kid like this really be capable of this mission?"

Naruto froze, a clearly offended look on his usually cheery face.

Kakashi laughed. "I, a Jounin, will be accompanying you. There's no need to worry."

Naruto was scowling as the man's words echoed over and over inside his head. 'This geezer is the worst client ever. I need to say something.' He spun round and jabbed his finger at the man. "Hey, geezer, don't underestimate ninjas! I'm a great ninja! I'm the elite ninja who will receive the title of Hokage one day! The name is Uzumaki Naruto! Remember it!"

Tazuna had an uninterested look on his face as he drank from the bottle in his hand. "Hokage is the village's number one ninja, right?" he said after lowering the container, "I don't think a guy like you can become one."

"Shut up!" Naruto screeched, "I'm willing to go through any kind of hardship to become a Hokage! If I become a Hokage, you'll have to notice me!"

Tazuna grunted. "I won't kid. That is, even if you become a Hokage."

"I'm going to kill you!" Naruto snarled, struggling against the hold of Kakashi, who had grabbed onto the back of his collar.

"Stop, stupid." the teacher chastised, "Don't kill the person you're supposed to escort!"

"No! No! Let me at least hit him once!"

"Stop it, Naruto." Sakura growled, and the boy instantly fell silent.

* * *

"Hey, Tazuna-san?" Sakura asked.

"What is it?" the man grunted.

"You're from the Country of the Wave, right?"

"What about it?"

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, are there also ninja in that country?"

"No, there are no ninja in the Country of the Wave." the silver-haired man said, "But while the culture and customs of other countries may be different, hidden villages and ninja do exist. To the many countries that exist on this land, the existence of ninja villages is equivalent to the country's military powers. In other words, that is how they are able to maintain a relationship with neighboring countries. But, the villages aren't under control of that country. They are supposedly equal in position. On a small island like the Country of the Wave, where it is difficult to be influenced by other countries, there is no need for a ninja village.'

"I see." Sakura said nodding.

'Among the countries that have a ninja village, since the five countries of Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, and Earth occupy a large mass of land and their powers are immense, they are known as the Five Great Ninja Powers. Country of Fire's Hidden Village of Konoha, or leaf, Country of Water's Hidden Village of Mist, Country of Lightning's Hidden Village of Cloud, Country of Wind's Hidden Village of Sand, Country of Earth's Hidden Village of Rock. Only the leader of each Hidden Village is allowed to carry the name of 'Kage'. Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage, otherwise known as the five kages, are the ninjas that reign over the tens of thousands of ninjas that exist in the countries throughout the world."

"Wow!" Sakura exclaimed, smiling in admiration of the man, "So Hokage-sama must be a great man!"

She didn't really believe it though.

'Is that old geezer really a great man as he says he is? Sounds fishy.' she thought skeptically.

She wasn't alone.

'It must be a lie, yes, a lie.' Naruto thought to himself.

"Hey." Kakashi said.

The Genin froze.

"You all just doubted Hokage-sama, didn't you?"

Sasuke remained still as Naruto and Sakura frantically shook their heads.

"Don't worry." Kakashi said, placing a hand on Sakura's head, "We won't have any ninja battles in a C-ranked mission."

"Then there's no need to worry about meeting a foreign ninja." the pink-haired said, sighing in relief.

"Of course." Kakashi laughed.

Naruto moaned. "I wanna fight though…"

He squawked as Sakura punched him in the back of the head.

* * *

The group made their way through the forest.

Ami was looking around herself, smiling at the warmth of the sun on her skin. She looked at the fish in the shallow river underneath the bridge as they crossed it, then went into a small copse of trees, coming out the other side into a small clearing. She ran up beside Naruto who was still out in front, hopping over a puddle as she went.

"So what do you think the Wave Country will be like?" she asked.

There was a series of fast clinks behind them and the Genin turned their heads to see two men with gas masks in long, black cloaks rushing towards Kakashi. A single spiked chain connected to clawed, metal attachments on one of each of their hands wrapped several times around the sensei, binding him in an instant.

"What!" Kakashi exclaimed in shock and horror.

"First one!" the ninja snarled.

Both ninja pulled their end of the chain and Kakashi's body was sliced into pieces before their eyes. Bloody lumps fell to the ground in a pile.

The girls screamed in horror.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto cried, before the two ninja appeared behind him.

"Second one."

Naruto was paralyzed with fear, looking at the chain swirling in the air. He couldn't move.

'I'm going to die…' he thought, 'Why can't I move!'

In an instant, Sasuke jumped into the air and pinned the chain to a tree, throwing a shuriken at it, then a kunai to hold the star in place, embedding it in the bark through the hole in the throwing star's centre.

The two enemy ninja scowled in frustration when they tugged at the firmly stuck chains.

Sasuke flew down and landed on the two fastened arms of the ninja, grabbed them, then gave a small grunt of arrogance before he kicked out with his legs, hitting both men hard in the side of the face. The pair grunted in pain before releasing the chain from their hands and one went flying at Naruto and Ami.

"Naruto!" Ami screeched, making hand signs before slapping a hand on her pouch and pulling out the water inside, shooting it at the ninja heading for them. He dodged and swung for the girl, but she ducked and hit him in the bottom of the jaw with a kick.

The other was dashing towards Tazuna and Sakura.

Sakura jumped in front of the bridge builder. "Stay back, mister!" she cried, raising a kunai before herself.

Sasuke leaped in front of the pair, his arms spread wide in an effort to protect them both.

The man was flying at them, but Kakashi appeared and grabbed both men around the necks, halting them instantly as they fell limp in his grip.

"Hey." he said simply.

'Kakashi-sensei!' Sakura thought happily, beaming at the man, 'He's alive!'

Sasuke was unimpressed. 'What a show-off.'

Ami's thought process had momentarily stopped as she stared at the man, her jaw dropped in shock.

Naruto gawked, then turned to look at the pile on the ground.

It was a pile of small logs. Not a drop of blood.

"Naruto, sorry for not helping out right away. I got you hurt." Kakashi said, "I just hadn't thought you would freeze up like that."

Tazuna exhaled heavily. 'I'm saved…'

"Anyway, Sasuke, good job. Sakura, you too. Ami, it was good that you tried to help Naruto, but you depend on your water techniques too much."

Ami dropped her head in embarrassment. 'He's right… beside my techniques I am pretty average.' 'Nami' echoed in her head.

"These ninja are from the Mist village in the Water Country." the sensei continued, "Those water attacks are weak against them. It's not good to have a crutch, so be careful of that. Nice kick though."

Ami glanced at Sasuke, who was looking up at the sky with a relaxed, expression. 'His nickname for me is spot-on, though...'

Naruto was speechless.

'I… couldn't do anything. But Sasuke was able to in his first battle.' He stared at the cool boy. 'Was he not afraid at all? Are you saying he helped me with that calm face without even getting his clothes dirty?'

"Hey." Sasuke called to him.

Naruto flinched.

"Are you hurt," he smirked smugly, "Scaredy-cat?"

Naruto's face twisted with rage. "SASUKE!"

"NARUTO!" Kakashi yelled, causing the boy to jump. "There's poison on these guys' nails. We need to take out the poison right away."

Naruto winced as he fearfully examined the cut on the back of his hand.

"We need to open up your wound and leech out the poisoned blood. Don't move too much, or the poison will spread through your body." He turned his attention to the bridge builder. "Tazuna-san."

"W-What is it?"

"I need to talk to you." the man said quietly.

* * *

"These guys are Chuunin-class ninja from the Hidden Village of the Mist." Kakashi informed the others. "They are ninjas known to keep fighting no matter what the cost."

"How were you able to detect our action?" one of the men asked, voice filled with controlled rage.

"It hasn't rained for the past few days, and it's sunny." Kakashi said, "A water puddle shouldn't exist."

Ami suddenly remembered the puddle she had hopped over.

"You knew!" she yelled angrily, "You did _nothing_! Naruto got _hurt_!"

"Why did you let the kids fight when you knew that?" Tazuna asked.

"If I was up to it, I could have killed these two in the blink of an eye, but," he directed his eye towards Tazuna. "I needed to know who their target was."

"What do you mean?" Tazuna asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"In other words, were you being targeted, or somebody from our ninja group? We have not heard anything about you being targeted by ninja. Your request was to protect you from armed groups like gangs and robbers. This is a mission that's above a B rank. Our job was to support and guard you until you completed the bridge. If ninja are our enemy, then this mission would have been an expensive B rank."

Tazuna had dropped his gaze to the ground, a guilty look on his face.

"It looks like you have your reasons, but it only troubles us if you lie in your request details. This wasn't part of the mission."

"This mission is out of our league." Sakura said, "Let's quit. We need anesthesia to remove the poisoned blood from Naruto too. We need to go back to the village and see a doctor!"

Naruto looked at the cut on his hand, then turned to look at Kakashi.

The sensei sighed. "This sure is a burden. Let's go back to the village to cure Naruto."

Ami looked down at the ground, disappointed at the way their first C-rank job had turned out. 'At least Aiko will be happy that I'm back…' She heard a clink and a grunt of pain, and jerked her head up to see Naruto having just plunged a kunai into the back of his hand, blood pouring from the wound.

"_N-Naruto!_" she cried.

"Why am I so different…" he said through clenched teeth, "Why am I always… _Damn it!_"

Sakura ran towards him. "Naruto! What are you doing!"

"I should be stronger…" the boy continued, "I've accomplished lots of missions and I've practiced techniques every day…"

"_Naruto, stop!_" Ami cried, alarmed at the severity of his injury.

Blood was falling to the ground now.

"I'm never going to do something that will require someone to help me. I'm never going to be frightened and try to back out of things. I'm not going to lose to Sasuke. I vow that to the pain in my left hand. I'm going to protect the old man with this kunai!" He grinned through the throe in triumph. "The mission is still on!"

Kakashi gave him a dull look. "Naruto," he said drearily, "it's nice that you took out the poisoned blood so spiritedly, but you're going to die from blood loss if anymore comes out."

The boy's grin vanished.

He looked sick.

"It's not good if you don't stop it right away. Seriously." Kakashi said, smiling under his mask.

"Idiot! That's why I told you to stop!" Ami yelled as the boy began running about, screaming and flailing his arms in panic.

"Show me your hand." Kakashi said tiredly, and the frantic boy placed it in his palm.

"Save me!" he wailed.

"Naruto, you have a self-abusing personality." Sakura reprimanded him, her hands on her hips. "That's called masochism, you know."

Kakashi stared at the cut a moment. His visible eye widened.

"Hey, Hey…" Naruto said, shaking as he spoke in a frightened voice, "Am I… okay? You have a serious look on your face."

Kakashi was still a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of bandages before wrapping them around the cut.

"You should be okay."

"You sure?" Ami asked, pale herself. "He-he lost a lot of blood there…"

"Yeah… he'll be fine." the man said.

* * *

Just as Kakashi had said, Naruto seemed perfectly well.

Ami stared at the boy, bewildered.

'How is he alright?' she wondered. 'He lost so much… but his circulation is still fine? I guess sensei was right… I never was good at medicine though. Aiko's always been better than me in that area…'

Naruto was walking beside her, healthy as a frog, but still wearing a pout as he grumbled about Sasuke, glaring at the back of the raven's head.

"He's just such an ass, you know?" the blond complained quietly.

"He still saved you. You should thank him." Ami said shrugging. "Sakura already thanked him for saving her." She looked ahead at the pair, Sakura smiling widely at the deadpan raven. She frowned as she saw Sakura's face fall in disappointment.

'Looks like he just turned her down again. Why does she bother? She's smart and nice-looking, she can do better than a guy who doesn't even smile unless he's insulting you.'

"No way." Naruto said scowling, bringing the girl out of her thoughts.

"Why not?"

"Because he's an _ass_!"

"If it weren't for Sasuke we wouldn't even be in a team, never mind on this mission. He's not all bad. He's the one who fed you first, remember?"

Naruto made a face.

Ami rolled her eyes. "Naruto, you're so stubborn. Do what you want, but I'm going to go thank him."

She sped up her steps a little and moved ahead to walk beside Sasuke, ignoring Naruto as he muttered something that sounded like; 'You can talk, pig head…'

"Hey." she said pleasantly.

Sakura scowled at her. "Ami! Don't annoy Sasuke!" she snarled.

Sasuke's brow furrowed slightly in annoyance at the oncoming argument.

Ami frowned. "I haven't even said anything yet."

"You don't need to."

"So walking beside him is a crime now?"

"_Stay away, Konno." _Sakura warned, voice icy.

"_I'll go wherever I please, Haruno." _the brunette replied, tone just as cold.

Ami stuck out her tongue at the glaring girl and turned her attention to the raven between them. She noticed the bruise on his neck was gone.

'That mark is gone.' she thought, smiling to herself, 'That's good.'

"What are you looking at?" Sasuke asked, voice monotone.

Ami grinned. "Did you use the cream?"

"Cream?" Sakura questioned, looking confused.

"…hn."

"That a 'yes'?"

The boy nodded silently.

Ami smiled. "I'm glad. Thanks for saving us."

There was no reply.

She glanced back at the blond lagging behind, glowering at the ground.

"Naruto's thankful too. He's just too proud to say it." she said quietly so that the Uzumaki wouldn't hear.

"Don't be so stupid in future, Nami." Sasuke said plainly, "Tell Dobe the same."

Ami smile slid off her face, and Sakura flashed her the 'V' for victory sign.

Ami frowned at them both. "You're horrible."

The boy raised an eyebrow but didn't look at her. Sakura pulled a face.

"...Thanks anyway." she muttered, then stopped walking and waited for Naruto, traveling beside him once again when he reached her.

* * *

"Which of us was she calling 'horrible'?" Sasuke asked Sakura quietly.

The pink-haired girl's heart leapt at Sasuke having spoken to her first, but her face fell at the topic. "I… think she meant both of us." she replied whispering.

Sasuke was silent a moment.

"I see. Thank you."

The girl's face brightened again. "Of course Sasuke-kun!" she beamed.

'Good god, she's at it again.' Ami thought irritably, as she watched from behind. "What are you sucking up to him about now?"

Sakura had had enough.

"His massive _dick_!" she retorted hotly.

Ami's jaw dropped and her face turned scarlet, as did Sasuke, while Naruto seemed to choke on his own spit.

'That shut her up.' Sakura thought triumphantly.

Ami was silent for quite some time after that, and seemed that she was going to be a little more respectful about how she spoke to Sakura in future.

The pink-haired girl grinned to herself, barely even caring about the fact that Sasuke had moved away from her to walk near Kakashi instead.

She had been successful.

* * *

Team seven and Tazuna sat in a small rowing boat, sailing through thick mist.

'There's so much moisture here…' Ami thought, 'My clan members have got divining naturally built in, but I haven't tried refining it yet. My senses are going nuts…' She frowned in irritation.

"This mist is incredible." Sakura said quietly. "I can't see a thing."

"We're soaking." Ami whispered, running a hand through her hair.

"I know…" Sakura mumbled.

"My hair is going to go frizzy." Ami said, laughing slightly.

"Not as frizzy as mine, I bet." Sakura grinned.

"Not a chance." the other girl smirked back.

"I'm gonna look like _Kakashi-sensei_."

"I'm gonna look like _broccoli_."

The pair covered their mouths and giggled.

'Sakura's pretty cool once we aren't fighting.' Ami thought happily. 'I'm kind of glad she gave me that shock. I find it easier to relate to her now."

Sakura was thinking along the same lines.

Naruto sat at the front of the boat, twitching in anticipation of the sight of the Wave Country.

"We'll be able to see the bridge soon, the man steering the boat said quietly, "If we move along the side of the bridge, we'll be at the Country of the Wave."

Through the mist, the outline of a structure could be seen, and as the boat approached, they saw the huge construction being built, cranes holding metal beams and scaffolding on top of the half-finished bridge.

"It's huge!" Naruto squealed in excitement, beaming in wonder at the size.

"Hey, be quiet!" the man steering the boat said, "We're using this boat and hiding in the mist. That's why I'm rowing instead of using the engine. In other words, if we get caught, we'll be in trouble."

Naruto held his hands over his mouth in alarm, horrified at what he had just done, the other Genin staring at the man with anxious expressions.

"Tazuna-san…" Kakashi said quietly.

The man dropped his head.

"Before the boat gets to the pier, there's something I need to ask you. The identity of the ones who are after you, and the reason they are after you. Or we can call this mission off when you get ashore."

There was a moment of silence as the ninja awaited the man's answer.

Tazuna finally spoke.

"Looks like I have to tell you the real story." he muttered, "_I-I mean;_ I would like for you to hear my story."

The ninja listened carefully.

"As you said, this mission is most likely out of your job description. An extremely terrible man is after my life."

"An extremely terrible man?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yes." Tazuna breathed.

"Who is it?"

"You should have all at least heard of the name. Marine transportation billionaire, Gatou."

Kakashi's eye widened. "Gatou? The one from the Gatou company? He's one of the richest men in the world."

Naruto was clueless.

"Who, who? What, what?"

"Yes," Tazuna said solemnly, "he is the president of a marine transportation company on the outside, but underground he uses gangs and ninjas to smuggle drugs and contraband goods. He also does nasty jobs such as takeovers of other companies and countries."

The shinobi watched the man intently as he told his story.

"A year ago, he set his sights on the Country of the Wave. He entered this country using violence and wealth as his shield, and he quickly took over the island's sea traffic and transportation. On an island like Country of the Wave, controlling the sea means ruling over the wealth, politics and people of this island. And the one thing that Gatou is afraid of, is the completion of the bridge that has been under construction for quite some time."

"I see." Sakura said, "So you, as the one building the bridge, became an obstacle to him."

"Then those ninjas were sent by Gatou." Sasuke said.

"This really is big." Ami mumbled.

Naruto was still confused.

"But I don't understand." Kakashi said. "He's a dangerous man that uses ninjas. Why did you hide the fact when you came to us?"

"The country of the Wave is a really poor country. Even the feudal lord does not have much money. And we do not have much either. We don't have the money to request an important B rank or above mission. If you quit your mission after we land, I'll be killed for sure."

The ninja were silent, still listening.

"While I go home."

Naruto, Sakura and Ami grimaced.

"But there's no need to blame yourselves." the old man continued, a fake apologetic smile appearing on his face, "Only my cute, eight year old grandson will _cry_ and_ cry_ and_ cry_ some more.

Naruto and Sakura grimaced as Ami felt her temple throb.

'He's using his grandson as emotional blackmail against us… Maybe I could save Gatou the trouble and kill him here.'

"And my daughter will just bear a grudge against Konoha ninja and live a lonely life." The man continued, shamelessly using his family as leverage.

The ninja grunted in frustration.

"But it's not _your _fault."

Kakashi scratched his head. "I guess it can't be helped. We will continue escorting you."

"That's good to hear." Tazuna said. '_I won._'

"Oi, Tazuna-san." Ami grunted.

"Yes, um… 'Nami' was it?"

The girl clenched her teeth and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"'_Ami'._" she snarled.

"Sorry." Tazuna said, still smiling.

The girl glared at him.

"I'm not impressed with the way you lied to us, despite your reasons, and I'm definitely not impressed with how you used your family members to put us on a guilt trip. In fact, I'd like to stand up, walk over to you and snap your neck in half, but that would kill you, and your grandson wouldn't want that, would he?"

"No he wouldn't." Tazuna grinned.

"That's right. So instead, let me just return the favor."

Tazuna stared at her, as did the others.

"I have a grandmother and an eight year old sister waiting for me at home. If I die, how sad do you think they'll be?"

Tazuna's smile faded.

"What's more, I'm pretty much my cute, innocent, eight year old, younger sister's idol. How crushed do you think her dreams will be if I die on a C rank mission barely a week after becoming a ninja?"

She leant back against the boat and continued talking, as Tazuna seemed to grow smaller and smaller.

"Not like it matters to _you_ though. Don't _bother_ worrying about how you've dragged a bunch of _twelve year olds_ and any _family_ or _friends_ they may have into _your_ mess. After all, it's not _your _fault."

The man bowed his head.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled.

"You're an idiot, that's what you are." Ami said directly. "And let me promise you something."

The man looked up at her.

"If I die, I'm going to haunt and torment you until you follow me. I won't let you sleep, or have a single happy moment with your family without the memory of me right there beside them."

The boat was silent, the washing of the waves against the side being the only noise.

"Well, you like to use water techniques, right Ami?" Sakura said, trying to ease the solemn mood, "In a place like this, you should have plenty to fight with."

The girl raised her eyebrows in thought. "I guess."

"Keep it down," the boat driver warned, "We don't want to be heard. We're almost there."

The boatman was heading towards a small, stone, arched bridge.

"Tazuna-san," he said, "It looks like we haven't been noticed yet."

"Thank you." the bridge-builder replied gratefully.

Their pupils widened as their eyes adjusted to the new light levels as they traveled underneath the arch, dimly lit by orange lights on the ceiling of the overhead curve. When they came out the other side, they were momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight, and found that the dense mist had disappeared. They were looking at a small village on top of water, wooden buildings and piers for pathways, green trees growing up out of the shallow water here and there.

They made their way towards a pier and Tazuna and the ninja climbed out of the boat.

"This is as far as I go." the man said. "Later."

"Sure. Thanks a lot." Tazuna said.

"Be careful." The man switched on the boat's engine and sped away from the group.

"Right. Take me home safely." Tazuna said.

"Yes." Kakashi said lazily, turning and walking along the pier, the Genin going along. 'If they are to attack, they will send Jounin level ninja instead of Chuunin level ones.' he thought wearily, 'Oh well…'

* * *

Once again, the group was walking through woodland.

Suddenly Naruto ran out in front, and fervently began looking around. The group halted behind him. He threw a kunai into the bushes screaming; "There!"

The others jumped slightly, but after several seconds of silence, Naruto straightened up again, with a sanctimonious announcement of; "Oh, it was just a mouse.", a cocky smirk on his lips.

Tazuna and Sakura were shaking in fury, Kakashi, Sasuke and Ami glaring angrily at him.

"Quit showing off! There was nothing there!" Sakura yelled.

"Naruto, don't use your kunai knives so abusively!" Kakashi implored. "It's dangerous in the first place!"

Sasuke grunted in annoyance.

"Hey, you dwarf! Don't scare us!" Tazuna yelled.

"Damn it Naruto!" Ami shouted, "Stop being jealous of Sasuke and trying to act like a big shot! If you want to outdo him, do something genuine, not stupid tricks!"

"I see someone hiding over there." the boy continued, "No, is he over there?"

Kakashi suddenly felt a presence behind them.

Naruto flung a kunai in the direction it had come from. "There!"

"I told you to stop!" Sakura yelled, punching him in the back of the head.

"But I really _did_ sense someone." the blond insisted weakly.

"Hit him again, Sakura!" Ami shouted.

"Liar! Cut it out!" the pink-haired girl yelled.

Kakashi peeked into the bushes where Naruto had thrown his kunai and saw a white rabbit, terrified and twitching on the ground at the base of a tree, the blade stuck in the bark over its head.

Sakura came over and saw the traumatized animal, then turned to the boy following her. "Naruto, look what you've done!" she cried.

"_Rabbit!_" the boy exclaimed, getting down and hugging the poor creature, trying to comfort it. "Sorry, I didn't mean it. Sorry, rabbit."

"Well it's _your _stupidity that caused it to happen!" the brunette chastised.

"It was just a rabbit." Tazuna muttered.

Kakashi was silent.

"Everyone, duck!" he suddenly shouted.

They hit the ground, the rabbit fleeing, as a huge sword came hurtling out of nowhere over their heads, and would have chopped Tazuna's body clean in half if he hadn't ducked. The massive weapon imbedded itself into the side of a tree, and a man appeared, standing on top of it with his back to them. He was shirtless, wore long, baggy, grey pants, arm sleeves with a camouflage pattern and knee-length socks connected to shoes being of a similar design. His skin was heavily tanned, his dark hair and empty eyes, brown, and he wore bandages on his face over his nose, mouth and neck. A mist village hitai-ate was tied sideways around his head. His face was partially turned back towards the group below.

"Oh, my, my," Kakashi said, casually, looking up at the man, "you are Momochi Zabuza, the exiled ninja of the Hidden Village of the Mist."

"Exiled ninja?" Naruto thought blankly, "Who cares, I need to… On your mark, go!" He ran towards the man, but Kakashi threw out his arm to stop him.

"You're in the way. Stay back, everyone."

"Why!" Naruto yelled insolently.

"He's way different from the guys we me before." Kakashi said quietly. He slowly reached up to his forehead protector.

"I'm guessing you are Kakashi the Sharingan user." Zabuza said, his voice deep and rough.

Sasuke looked at the sensei in shock.

"I'm sorry, but I'll need you to hand over the geezer." Zabuza said.

'Sharingan… 'Wheel Eye'' Ami thought, puzzled as she looked at the sensei standing beside her. 'I know I've heard of that somewhere, but where?'

'What? Sharingan?' Naruto thought, 'What's that?'

Sakura stared at the man in the tree. 'What… What is he saying? He's strong?'

"Sharingan…" Tazuna mumbled.

"Everyone, form the swastika formation." Kakashi said. "Protect Tazuna-san. Don't join the battle."

"Huh?" Sakura said, confused.

"To not interfere with the battle is teamwork." He raised his headband the rest of the way, to show an eye with a vertical scar down it. The revealed eye opened, and a scarlet iris with three, black, comma-like markings surrounding the pupil stared out of the socket.

'I know that eye, I've seen it!' Ami thought, 'I remember reading about it somewhere! …it's extremely uncommon nowadays… why is that, again..?"

"Fight me." Kakashi said.

"I'm honored that I can see the Sharingan I've heard about." Zabuza said, turning towards the sensei.

"You keep saying 'Sharingan', 'Sharingan', but what is it?" Naruto demanded.

"Sharingan…" Sasuke said, "The eye creates it, and it is the power that the pupil generates. Ones who use doujutsu, or eye techniques, are said to have eye powers that can see through all Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, and cancel their effects. Sharingan is one of the various types of eyes that those doujutsu users possess. However, that's not the only ability the Sharingan possesses."

'That's the most I've ever heard him say in one go.' Ami thought. 'I remember it now, but I still can't remember why it's so uncommon.'

"Correct. That isn't it." Zabuza said. "The scary part is that Sharingan can understand how an opponent's technique works, and copy it."

A thick mist began to fill the area. "When I was in the Hidden Village of Mist's Assassination Squad your information was listed in the bingo book I carried, asking for your capture. It also noted this; The man who copied more than a thousand techniques, Kakashi the copy ninja."

Sakura's mouth fell open. 'What? Kakashi sensei was that great of a ninja?'

"A-amazing!" Naruto yelled, in awe of the man.

Sasuke was still staring at the sensei, a perplexed look on his face. 'I don't understand…' he thought, 'Sharingan is a special trait that appears only in a limited number of people in the Uchiha clan. Could he be…?'

"Let's cut the chit-chat here." Zabuza said. "I have to kill that geezer right away."

Tazuna's eyes widened and his glasses slipped down his face. The Genin rushed in front of him.

"But Kakashi, it looks like I have to defeat you first."

He kicked off the tree, pulling his sword out of the bark as he went.

'Where'd he go?' Ami wondered.

"There!" Naruto shouted.

"And he's on top of the water!" Sakura cried.

Zabuza was on top of the lake, his eyes closed, water swirling around his feet as he held one hand in a Chakra-gathering seal, the other raised above his head.

A thick mist was beginning to form.

'He's embedding a lot of Chakra into the water.' Kakashi thought.

'That water…' Ami realised, 'he's putting Chakra into it, isn't he? There's so much, though… way more than I usually use.'

"Ninpou, Kirigakure no Jutsu." Zabuza said, and everyone's vision flooded with white.

"He disappeared." Naruto said.

"Ninja Tactic number one, Naruto." Ami said quietly, "He's hiding. Just as the name of his jutsu says, he's concealing himself in the mist."

"Sensei." Sakura said as the man walked in front of them.

"He'll try to eliminate me first, but…"

"What is he?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"Momochi Zabuza," the man replied, "he was in the Hidden Village of Mist's ANBU, and was known for his "silent killing" techniques."

'The ANBU is the Assassination and Tactics Special Squad.' Ami thought, 'You have to be really strong to be one. What the hell have we gotten into?'

"Silent..?" Naruto questioned.

"Just as the name implies, it's a killing technique that is executed in a flash and carried out in absolute silence. It's possible you'll be dead before you realise it, and I cannot use my Sharingan to its fullest potential. So don't let your guard down."

The Genin's eyes widened in fear.

"But if you fail, you're only going to die." he added in an offhand sort of manner.

"You're so carefree!" Sakura exclaimed.

"More like care_less_!" Ami cried.

"The mist is getting thicker!" Naruto said.

"The Country of the Wave is surrounded by the ocean, so a mist often emerges." Tazuna said.

Sakura gasped as the silhouette of Kakashi slowly vanished. "Sensei!"

"Don't let your guard down, Sakura!" Ami said, feeling her heartbeat quicken as adrenaline pumped into her brain.

There was silence for several seconds as the five of them stood, listening for the enemy.

"_Eight points._" echoed around them.

They jumped.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"_The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidneys and heart. Now, which vital organ do you want to get struck at?_"

The Genin froze in fear.

Kakashi made a few hand signs and his body charged with Chakra.

Sasuke could feel sweat running down his brow, and he trembled in terror.

'What an intense thirst for blood…' he thought, 'One breathing motion or one eye movement will be detected, and it'll get me killed… That is the atmosphere I feel… If I stay here for an hour, I'll lose my mind…'

Ami could feel the boy shaking beside her. 'Stop moving, Sasuke!' she thought furiously, 'I'm trying to look for Zabuza's water signature! It's hard enough with all this mist, not to mention I'm nearly scared stupid! I don't need your body buzzing beside me! It's distracting me! Stop, dammit, _stop_! If _you're_ this scared how am _I_ meant to feel!'

'The murderous intent of two Jounin clashing…' he thought, 'The feeling that my life is in someone's hand… No… I would rather kill myself to escape this feeling!'

'What's he doing with his kunai?' Ami thought, 'He's lifting it up and he's shaking like crazy… Is he alright?'

She opened her mouth to speak to him, but was beaten to it.

"Sasuke." Kakashi said.

The raven's head jerked up.

"Don't worry. I'll protect the four of you with my life."

Sasuke stared at the man, who turned his head back to him and smiled. "I won't let anyone on my team die."

The other Genin stared at the man, comforted at the sight of their sensei. Ami felt the raven stop shaking.

'Now I can look.' she thought, sighing slightly, before a voice spoke behind them and made her jump.

"I don't know about that."

It was Zabuza.

Inside their formation.

"This is the end." he said.

Kakashi spun round, Sharingan eye locking on to the man's face. He shot forwards, hitting the man in the gut and driving him out of the Genin's arrangement.

There was a splattering sound as a clear liquid dribbled out of Zabuza's stomach where Kakashi had plunged his kunai knife.

A second Zabuza appeared behind him.

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto shouted.

The silver-haired man gasped as the Zabuza in front of him turned to water, and turned his head to the one behind him, swinging a sword.

"DIE!" the exiled ninja roared, hacking the man's body clean in half.

He smiled beneath his bandages, then his eyes widened as Kakashi's blood turned to water.

'Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu? The Water clone technique… Did he copy it… in this mist?'

A kunai blade appeared at his neck.

"Don't move." Kakashi commanded.

Zabuza obeyed.

"_This_ is the end."


	8. Copying, Illusions and Climbing

**Sorry this took so long. :D Homework. :P Plus, this chapter actually has two episodes in it, rather than the usual one, so it's nice and long. :3**

**Enjoy, and please tell me what you think. :D**

******I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Copying, Illusions and Climbing

* * *

All of the Genin, bar Sasuke, beamed at their sensei's victory, Naruto yelling a hearty 'Wow!' of admiration.

Zabuza chuckled and Kakashi's eye widened in surprise.

"'It's over'?" he quoted dryly. "You don't get it. There's no way you defeat me with your monkey-like imitations." He chuckled again. "But that was impressive of you. When you spoke to that boy, you had already copied my Water Clone no Jutsu."

The Genin remembered Kakashi speaking to Sasuke to calm him.

The silver-haired Jounin hadn't moved, and still held his kunai to the throat of the dark-haired Missing-Nin.

"You had your clone say those words to attract my attention, while the real you hid in the mist and watched me. Nice plan… But…"

The Genin gasped.

Zabuza was standing behind Kakashi with a knife to his neck, as their sensei still had, what they now realised was a clone, apprehended in front of him.

"I'm also not that easy. Kakashi's eye widened as the man he had been holding sloshed around his feet as he turned to water.

"That one's a fake too!" Naruto yelled in shock.

The actual Zabuza swung his huge sword at the sensei, ready to chop him in two, but Kakashi ducked and the sword flew over his head. Upon missing, Zabuza dug the end of the blade into the dry earth, then used it to pivot himself back round to face the masked man. He pushed off the handle with his hands and kicked the sensei in the side, sending him flying in an arc through the air and across the clearing.

Zabuza went to run but then saw the throwing nails beneath his feet and stopped. 'Makibishi…' "Foolish…" he said, water sloshing around Kakashi's body as he splashed into the lake.

"Sensei!" Naruto yelled.

'He _flew_!' Ami thought, shocked, 'Sensei _flew_!'

'Kakashi sensei got… knocked down?' Sakura thought, stunned.

'He's also strong in Taijutsu…' Sasuke growled.

Kakashi's head and shoulders pushed above the surface of the water.

"What's with this water?" he muttered. 'It's heavy…'

Zabuza stood behind him on top of the lake and began making hand signs.

"Foolish."

Kakashi's eyes widened in horror.

"Water Prison no Jutsu!"

Kakashi swore as the water he was floating in enveloped his body, encasing him in a swirling sphere of Chakra-filled water. 'Escaping to the water was a big mistake.' he thought, cursing his decision.

Zabuza laughed malevolently. "I now have you in my special, inescapable prison." he said, "It makes things tougher if you can move, you know? Now, Kakashi, we can finish things later. First I'll take care of them." He made a seal with one hand, facing the Genin and bridge builder. "Water Clone no Jutsu."

'I didn't expect him to be this good…' Kakashi thought.

Naruto's face twisted in fear at the sight of the water from the lake transforming into a Water Clone of Zabuza.

"Wearing forehead protectors and acting like real ninjas… but you know what? A real ninja is someone who has survived numerous brushes with death." Zabuza said, "In short, once you're good enough to be listed in my bingo book, then you can start calling yourself a ninja." He made a one-handed seal, and once again, his form blended back into the mist. "Guys like you shouldn't be referred to as ninja."

'Not again!' Ami thought, frantically trying to pick up on some sign of the man's movement. 'I can barely see in front of my face and I'm no good at divining yet! Plus, the mist is so thick, and he can move so fast, it'd probably be useless anyway!' She gritted her teeth. 'My head hurts so much… It's like it's buzzing…' She gasped as out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto fly back as a knee hit him in the face, sending his headband spinning off his head. Zabuza stomped on the forehead protector.

"Just brats." the Missing-Nin said.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, she and Sasuke turning towards him.

"You guys!" Kakashi yelled from inside the prison. "Take Tazuna-san and run away! You have no chance against him! As long as he's keeping me trapped in this water prison, he can't move! The water clone shouldn't be able to go very far from his real body! Just run away _now_!"

'Run away?' Sasuke thought angrily, furrowing his brow, 'Don't be ridiculous. That choice disappeared the moment you were caught. Even if we escape, without you, we will sooner or later be found by Zabuza and annihilated.'

His mind flashed back to when they had been standing in a circle around Tazuna in an attempt to protect him.

'Even in a defensive position, guarding against his attack is impossible.'

He looked at Naruto shaking on the ground beside him, Sakura stunned in shock, and Ami clenching her fists and teeth.

'In the end, there is no choice. For us to survive, we have to save you!' "We have to do it!" he yelled, then darted towards Zabuza, throwing shuriken as he went, all of which were deflected by a swing of the Missing-Nin's sword.

Zabuza was surprised when he saw that in the time he had swung his sword, Sasuke had vanished, then looked up to see him flying down on him after jumping, roaring "Now!"

"That's naïve." he said, before grabbing the black-haired boy roughly by the throat and holding him above the ground.

Sasuke pulled desperately at the hands that were crushing his windpipe.

Meanwhile, Ami had pulled out a small bag from her back pouch.

'At least I had some luck on this mission and brought painkillers with me.' she thought, crushing one of the small, orange pills between her teeth. 'Thank _god _they're fast-acting.' The brunette stuffed the bag back into her pouch. She looked up at Sasuke's roar then gasped in horror as she saw his neck being squeezed in the man's vice-like grip.

Zabuza flung the boy away like a rag doll, Sakura screaming his name.

"Sasuke was…" Naruto whimpered, shaking relentlessly and frozen in fear as he looked up to see Zabuza towering over him. 'This is a Jounin, a real ninja! I have to escape… At this rate… I'll really… really be killed!'

He turned and grunted as he felt pain spike up through his left hand when he placed his weight on it, then his eyes widened in realisation as he remembered the promise he had made earlier, Sasuke calling him a scaredy-cat, and the words that he would not lose to the Uchiha any more.

He turned to Zabuza again and glared at the sight of his forehead protector under his foot.

He remembered Iruka giving him that forehead protector as reward for beating Mizuki. He remembered Kakashi telling them to quit as ninjas, and then the sensei's smiling face under the mask as he revealed they had passed his test. He remembered that he wanted to become Hokage.

'That's right…' he pushed himself to his feet, 'I became a ninja… and promised… that I wouldn't run away any more! I won't run!'

He flew at Zabuza, screaming.

"Idiot! Stop!" Kakashi yelled, horrified at the boy's actions.

"Naruto! What is he _doing_!" Sakura bawled, clutching her head in horror, Sasuke and Ami staring beside her in shock.

Zabuza grunted. "Fool." he said.

Ami snarled at the man as Naruto was gracelessly knocked back, bouncing several times before coming to a stop at the Genins' feet.

"What are you doing jumping in all by yourself!" Sakura demanded, screaming at the blond on the ground, "Even Sasuke-kun couldn't do anything! No matter how hard we try, we Genin have no chance against him!"

"Exactly!" the other girl screeched, "How could you-"

Both girls went silent as they saw something Naruto was clutching in his hand.

'The forehead protector…?' Sakura thought, her mouth hanging open in surprise.

The others stared at him in shock as Naruto pushed himself to his feet, grunting in pain.

"Hey, you eyebrow-less freak…" he growled, "Add this to your bingo book. The man who will one day become Konoha's Hokage…"

Zabuza was shaking in rage as he watched Naruto tie the band around his brow.

"Konoha ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Zabuza looked ready to chew the boy's face off, just to shut him up.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called back to the boy behind him. "Listen to me a sec!"

"What is it?"

"I have a plan!"

Sasuke was curious. 'A plan in this situation?' he thought. 'He is…' He grunted. "Teamwork, from you?"

Ami nudged Sakura lightly in the side with her elbow.

"Naruto looks cool doesn't he?" she said grinning slightly.

Sakura said nothing, but agreed, staring at the boy.

"Now…" Naruto said, wiping his mouth, "Let's get wild!"

Zabuza began to chuckle again.

"A lot of energy," he said, "but do you stand a chance?"

"What are you doing!" Kakashi yelled again at the Genin, "Run away! This fight was over the moment I was caught! Listen, our mission is to protect Tazuna-san! Did you forget that?"

Naruto gave the bridge builder a pleading look. "Mister…" he begged.

Tazuna smiled at the ground. "Well… I planted this seed myself. I'm not going to say now that I desire you to live so much that I'd stop you." He raised his head to grin widely at them. "Don't worry about me. Fight as much as you want."

Sasuke smirked. "You hear that?"

"Are you ready?" Naruto grinned.

Zabuza gave a cold laugh again. "You guys never grow up. Going to keep playing ninja, eh? When I was about your age my hands were already dyed in blood."

Ami's brow furrowed slightly as she glanced at her left hand. A thin line in her palm ran across it from the base of her little finger to the base of her thumb, just like a slash across the appendage.

'Someday…' she thought, 'Maybe sooner than I think… I know I'll kill someone too.'

She frowned at the horrified looks on the faces of the others, bar Sasuke who simply looked disgusted and slightly uncomfortable.

'Is killing someone really such a forbidden subject for them…?' she wondered, feeling slightly uneasy at her own easy acceptance.

"Devil… Zabuza" Kakashi grunted weakly at the man.

"So you've heard a little about it." the man said.

Kakashi turned to the others, still inside the swirling water prison.

"Long ago," he said, "In the Hidden Mist Village, Kirigakure, often called Blood Mist Village, there was a final obstacle to becoming a ninja…"

Zabuza turned to him, impressed. "You even know about the graduation exam…"

"Graduation exam?" Naruto questioned.

Zabuza began laughing again.

'I'm getting sick of his laughing…' Ami thought angrily, tightening her grip on her kunai.

"Hey, what's this graduation exam thing!" Naruto demanded.

Zabuza kept snickering and Naruto glared at him.

"Fights to the death between students." Zabuza said, purring the words. "Friends who have trained and eaten at the same table are pitted against each other and go at it until one of them loses their life. These are friends who had helped each other and shared dreams until then…"

"…So cruel…" Sakura whispered, eyes wide with horror.

Ami bit back a growl.

"Ten years ago," Kakashi said, "The Hidden Mist graduation exam was forced to change. This change came after the previous year when an _evil_ appeared."

There was a moment of silence.

"Change?" Sakura said quietly, not understanding.

She was met with the same quietness.

"What change?" she pressed, "What did this _evil_ do?"

"Without pause or hesitation," Kakashi said slowly, "A young boy, who was not even a ninja, had killed over a hundred of that year's students."

The Water clone Zabuza had an blissful look in his eyes as he gazed up at the sky, seeming lost in his own reminiscing.

"That sure was fun…" he said smiling, then rolled his eyes back down at the Genin.

Naruto and Sasuke gasped.

The clone shot at Sasuke, striking him in the gut and sending him flying before he hit the ground hard and painfully. The replication slammed his elbow into the boy's stomach and the raven gagged as blood came up into his mouth.

"_Sasuke-kun!_" Sakura screeched.

"_Sasuke!_" Ami cried, then pulled out the water from her pouch and aimed it for Zabuza's head. She gasped when the Missing-Nin took hold of it in one hand, then pulled, yanking her towards him, then as soon as she was within range, punched her in the face with the same arm he had grabbed the thong with.

She hit the ground, clutching her cheek, mind reeling with the force of the blow.

Zabuza stomped his foot down on the boy's chest and continued steadily applying more and more pressure. Sasuke grunted in pain.

"Die." he said, stepping on the boy again.

'_My ribs are going to break!_' he thought as the man continued placing weight on his chest.

'Sasuke'll die at this rate!' Ami thought, trying to look at Zabuza to aim, blinking away the tears of pain forming in her eyes. Finally she could mostly see and made the necessary seals.

"Suiton; Taihoudan no Jutsu!" she grunted, and spat a high-powered jet of water at the back of the man's head, hitting him hard. He grunted in pain and turned to face Ami, removing his foot from Sasuke's torso, then swung up his sword, ready to bring it down on her neck.

She rolled out of the way and the earth cracked under the weapon's force instead.

'I can see clearly now!' she thought, making another sign from behind the man.

"Suiton; Suijinheki no Jutsu!" A large wall of water came up between her, Sasuke, and Zabuza, cutting the Missing-Nin off from them.

Naruto made a seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A couple dozen shadow replications of himself formed around Zabuza. Every clone drew a kunai.

"Here I come!" they said in unison.

Sasuke got to his knees with Ami beside him and looked at the Naruto clones and Zabuza.

The replications had basically dog-piled the man, and he threw them off with a roar and a swing of his sword.

"It's completely useless! He can't be beaten!" Tazuna yelled.

Each of the Shadow Clones were exploding in puffs of white smoke, one of the Narutos rummaging in his bag as he slid across the ground.

'This is the only way left to defeat him!' he thought, "Sasuke!" he yelled, throwing a large, folding shuriken towards the boy.

Ami dropped the water wall and the weapon was neatly caught.

Sasuke's eyes widened in understanding and he spun to his feet. 'I see, so that's the plan! Good thinking, Naruto!' He flicked the weapon and it spread out into four long blades. "Wind Shuriken, Shadow Windmill!"

Sakura smiled in admiration and Ami grinned. Tazuna and Kakashi watched in fascination.

"A shuriken won't work against me." Zabuza said calmly.

Sasuke leaped into the air and hurled it at him anyway.

Zabuza's eyes widened as the star whizzed clearly past him and he realised its true path.

'I see…' the real Zabuza thought. 'So this time you're aiming for the real one. But-!' He caught it in his hand. "That's not enough!"

Then he noticed something else. A second shuriken in the first shuriken's shadow.

'This is Kage Shuriken no Jutsu.' Kakashi thought. 'The Shadow Shuriken technique!'

'Another shuriken hiding in the blind spot!' Sakura thought, amazed.

"But, still not enough." Zabuza said, jumping cleanly over the projectile.

'He dodged it!' the girls thought, horrified.

Sasuke smirked cockily.

The shuriken that had just passed Zabuza henged into Naruto with a kunai.

Tazuna, Kakashi, and the girls watched the attack's unexpected unfolding, awestruck.

"There!" Naruto screamed, throwing the knife straight at the Missing-Nin.

The man's eyes widened and he knew he had no choice. He ripped his hand from the swirling sphere and jumped out of the kunai's path, however, the Water clone beyond him was hit and fell to the ground in a puddle, and a small nick was visible just below his right eye, blood trickling out of it. Raging, he span the shuriken he had earlier caught in his hand and roared at Naruto, veins bulging in his temples. "YOU DAMN KID!"

Water and blood flew into the air as Kakashi (who had been released with the collapse of the Water Prison when Zabuza had removed his arm) stopped the attack by halting a spinning blade of the shuriken with the back his hand.

Naruto fell with a splash into the water behind him.

Zabuza's eyes widened as Kakashi lifted his dripping head to glare at him, and the bloodlust in the air spiked.

Naruto pushed his head above the surface of the lake, flicked the water out of his eyes and grinned.

"Naruto, your plan was impressive." Kakashi said, still holding back the large shuriken held by Zabuza, "You have all sure grown."

Naruto snickered, pleased with himself. "I used the Kage Bunshin to hide the fact that I had transformed into a Fuuma Shuriken. I didn't do it to defeat Zabuza. I left one of my replicas and I transformed into a Fuuma shuriken. Then my replica threw me, now a shuriken, to Sasuke. Sasuke noticed that it was me right after he caught it. Then he took out his own shuriken and used the Shadow Shuriken technique."

'So, while he was spinning around to get up, he also took out his own weapon?' Ami thought, impressed, 'I never saw a thing!'

"I hid in the shadow of the real shuriken, and went straight for Zabuza." Naruto continued, "I knew I couldn't beat Zabuza just by that of course, but I thought that if I could just break the Water Prison, things might turn around."

We were also able to get rid of the Water Clone, so it was a success!"

"It was just luck." Sasuke said, smirking.

"It was luck!" Tazuna yelled indignantly.

"Aw, that was mean, Sasuke!" Ami said teasingly, "It was a good plan!"

Sakura stared at the boys, amazed. 'But being able to pull off such nice teamwork in a situation like this is… Naruto and Sasuke hated each other so much too.'

Zabuza scoffed. "I lost myself temporarily and canceled the Water Prison technique." he said.

"No, you didn't cancel the technique." Kakashi said plainly, "You were forced to let go."

"That's right, sensei." Ami said, grinning smugly, "He's talking crap."

"Let me just say that the same technique won't work against me twice." Kakashi said. "What are you going to do now?"

The veins in Zabuza's temple were clearly bulging, and the bandages twisted over the scowl he was wearing on his covered face.

"Sakura, don't let your guard down." Sasuke warned. "Nami, you're staying focused. Good."

Ami resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. She had to keep them on Zabuza, and besides, she was used to the nickname already.

The three of them stood in front of Zabuza, Naruto still in the lake.

Zabuza's eye twitched.

Kakashi grunted as the dark-skinned man folded the weapon back into one blade and began pushing down onto his hand with the shuriken, steadily overpowering him, then swung his arm, knocking the weapon flying far off into the air. The two men jumped back to create space to fight.

Zabuza made a hand seal and Kakashi's Sharingan eye widened.

Zabuza began making a long string if hand signs, so long that the Genin couldn't even remember them all, but Kakashi stood across from him and flawlessly copied the series whilst it was being made, their movements perfectly in sync.

"Bird!" they both said at the same time with the final, pyramid-shaped seal.

Two bulges appeared in the water, one in front of each ninja, and formed into two dragon shapes, raising their heads.

"Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

The dragons rose high up out of the water, entwining themselves around each other and winding as they soared, then crashed headfirst into each other, soaking the people below.

Naruto screamed as he was swept up in the waves created, and the other Genin and Tazuna tried to guard themselves against the water rushing into them. Up above, the two dragons continued to clash.

Sasuke looked at the two ninja in disbelief. 'He formed that many seals in just a few seconds and copied them perfectly.'

Sakura stared. 'What is this? Is this a ninja technique?'

All that Ami could think was; 'I have _got_ to learn that.'

Naruto's head and shoulders broke the surface of the water, gasping for air.

Kakashi and Zabuza were holding their weapons against each other, the sensei with a kunai and the Missing-Nin using his sword as water from their techniques streamed around them.

'Something's weird…' Zabuza thought, 'What's going on…?' He thought back to Kakashi perfectly copying his seals. 'Sharingan is meant to be an ability where the user memorizes an opponent's technique and copies it. But… the technique was executed at the same time. Did he…? This guy…!'

Once again, the two ninja jumped back from each other to widen the distance between them, then began to run, circling each other. Zabuza stopped and at the same time, Kakashi did. Zabuza made a one-handed seal and his eyes widened in shock as Kakashi did the same, their movements flawlessly synchronized.

"He's moving just like him!" Tazuna yelled. "And with such perfect timing!"

"What's going on, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, you seem to know something." Ami pressed.

The boy was silent as he continued studying the two men.

Kakashi and Zabuza were now staring each other down.

Zabuza was glaring.

'This guy…' He lowered his arm and the action was reflected back at him. 'My movement is being perfectly…'

"Predicted by him." Kakashi finished for him.

'What!' Zabuza thought, shocked speechless, 'He read what I was going to say in my mind?' He glared at the scarlet eye Kakashi bore as he changed the position of his hands again.

'_Damn it… _This guy…'

"Has such unpleasant eyes, right?" the silver man droned, once again completing Zabuza's thoughts.

Zabuza grunted. "What you're doing is just copying, nothing original!" he snarled.

"You can't beat me, you monkey!" the pair said in unision.

Zabuza's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I'll make it so you never open that copycat mouth of yours again!"

Zabuza stared as a dark figure began appearing behind Kakashi. Upon closer study, he realised it to be himself.

'That's impossible!' he thought, 'Is it a Genjutsu?'

"Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu!" the silver-haired man said.

"W-What!" Zabuza exclaimed.

A large swirling ball of water formed in front of Kakashi and shot towards Zabuza, enveloping him in a gyrating mass of confusion.

'I was the one who tried to execute the technique, but I couldn't… keep up with his technique!' Zabuza thought as he tried to swim out of the jutsu, but was mercilessly thrown against trees and rocks by the water, the Genin and Tazuna also being splattered.

Ami tried to guard herself from the water, but she felt her stance swaying as wave after wave pounded into her. She saw Naruto being tossed about in the heavy currents, then sighed slightly in relief when she saw him grab hold of a tree branch.

Zabuza groaned in pain, waves still pounding against his body as his body was thrust into a tree. Several kunai flew at him, sticking in his arms and thighs, and he roared in agony.

"It's over." Kakashi said from the tree above him.

"Why…?" Zabuza asked, perplexed, "Can you see the future?"

"Yeah." the man replied in a low voice, as he raised a kunai, "You're going to die."

Two thin needles shot through the air and straight through Zabuza's neck. His eyes rolled back in his head and he wobbled on his feet.

The Genin gasped.

'What the hell!' Ami thought, flinching in shock, 'Where did-?'

Kakashi's eyes widened and he looked at the direction the needles had come from. And looking up into a tree, he saw a figure dressed in a green, kimono-like garb, baggy pants and sandals. The stranger had long, black hair tied up at the back of his head covered with a light yellow cloth. They wore a mask that was white with red waves painted on the side, thin eye slits to look through and the symbol of the wave village carved into the forehead area of the mask.

Zabuza hit the ground with a heavy thud.

The figure chuckled, the sound slightly muffled by the mask. "It was true. He did die."

'Sounds like a guy.' Ami thought. 'Pretty young, too.'

The Konoha ninja and their client stared up at the unknown person, Naruto pulling himself out of the water and glaring up at the boy, then scowling down at the unmoving form of Zabuza at his feet.

Kakashi moved beside the Missing-Nin and placed two fingers on his neck, looking for a pulse.

There was silence a moment.

"He really _is_ dead." the man finally said.

The stranger bowed to them. "Thank you very much." he said, "I was looking for a chance to kill Zabuza."

Kakashi carefully studied the boy. "That mask… If I remember correctly, you must be a Hunter-Nin from the Hidden Mist."

"You are very well informed." the ninja said, straightening.

"Hunter-Nin!" Naruto growled.

"You don't even know what a Hunter-Nin is?" Sakura questioned. "You should have learned it in the academy. Hunter-Nins are those who assassinate exiled ninjas like Zabuza who, for some reason, go against the village they were born in. They do it to conceal any secrets of their village. That's common sense! You should study more!"

"Yes." the boy confirmed, "I am a member of the pursuing ninja unit that hunt exiled ninja."

'But he's only about our age…' Ami thought.

Naruto ran forward, rage clearly evident in his face. He looked from the boy to Zabuza, back again, and repeated. "Who the hell are you!" he yelled at the Hunter-Nin. "_Who are you!_"

"Calm down, Naruto." Kakashi said, placidly, "He's not an enemy."

"That's not what I'm asking!" Naruto yelled. "But-_Zabuza_ was killed! He was so strong, but he was killed so easily by a kid no different from me! We… we look like idiots! I don't accept this!"

"Whether you accept it or not, it's what happened." Kakashi said soothingly, placing a hand on the boy's head.

Naruto's face fell as the reality sunk in.

"In this world, there are kids who are younger than you… who are stronger than me."

Sasuke grunted in displeasure and Naruto growled, jerking his gaze away from the sensei in annoyance.

Ami stepped a little closer to the still man. She felt sick. "I've never tried sensing the water in a dead body before…" she said quietly, taking a step towards Zabuza, "May I-?"

There was a small whirlwind and in a flash, the Hunter-Nin was beside Zabuza, already lifting the body onto his shoulders. "I'm sorry. This body holds many secrets, and I must destroy it immediately. I'm sure you understand."

Ami's face fell, but she slowly nodded. "I understand." she mumbled.

The boy made a one-handed seal and vanished in another gust of wind.

Kakashi pulled his headband back over his left eye and once again adopted his signature lazy gaze.

Naruto ran to the spot where the pair had last been, looking around for any sign of them.

"They're not here anymore." Kakashi said.

Naruto began punching the ground in anger. "What was that!" he shouted in frustration. "What were we…?" He began cursing between blows.

"Naruto. Stop being a drama queen." Ami said sighing, "If you're going to get like this every time you meet someone stronger than you, you'll get killed while complaining."

"Things like this happen when you're a ninja." Kakashi said, grabbing his arm to stop him hurting himself. "If you don't like it, make up for it next time."

Naruto relaxed his body, and frowned in disappointment at the ground.

Ami turned to Sakura. "You know, I actually forgot what a Hunter-Nin was as well."

Sakura smirked smugly. "Well, Ami, looks like I'm smarter than you."

"I can still crush your head under a rock." Ami threatened, "Besides, remembering a fact doesn't show you're smart. It shows you have a good memory. I'd say that comes in handy for gathering facts when you're a stalker. Tell me, what toilet paper brand does Sasuke use? Is it super-soft for that pale ass of his? Or is that stick shoved so far up his hole he never needs it? Can you give me the depth's measurement in centimetres?"

Sakura's smirk slid off her face in a flash. "_Go fuck yourself!_"

'They get along better than they used to.' the silver-haired sensei thought, then turned to the others. "Our mission hasn't ended yet. We need to take Tazuna-san to his house."

"Sorry about that everyone!" the bridge builder laughed, "Just rest at my house!"

"Right! Good to go!" Kakashi said.

He turned… and fell flat on his face.

"What? What happened?" Sakura asked.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked in a worried voice.

No response.

"Kakashi sensei!"

* * *

The silver-haired man sighed as he looked up at the ceiling, lying in bed.

'I used my Sharingan too much…'

"Are you okay, sensei?" a young woman with long, black hair and dark eyes asked, dressed in a pink jumper and a knee-length, blue skirt.

"No, I'll be barely able to move for a week." he said, pushing himself up into a sitting position then coughing.

"Then you shouldn't move around for a while. Okay?" the woman said, an authoritarian note clear in her words.

"Y-yes…" Kakashi said, lying back down.

The Genin and Tazuna walked into the room.

"Sensei's awake!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura knelt by his bed. "Sharingan is amazing, but it puts so much strain on the body. I don't know if it's good or bad."

"I-I'm sorry." Kakashi mumbled as the others sat by his side.

"But you defeated such a strong ninja. We should be okay for a while." Tazuna said.

"Yeah. Sorry or not, at least it's over." Ami said.

"By the way, who was that boy with the mask?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"He had the mask of a pursuing ninja from a special squad of Kirigakure's ANBU." Kakashi said in a low voice. "They are also known as the fire extinguishing unit, and their job is to erase any evidence of a ninja being alive. A ninja's body will give away the secrets of ninja techniques and Chakra of the village it was in, any specific medicine that was used on the body, along with various other things. For example, if I were to die, the secret of Sharingan could be examined. And in the worst case scenario, there is a possibility that my techniques, including the Sharingan, will be stolen. In other words, Hunter-Nin will kill exiled ninja who have abandoned the village, dispose of the ninja's body, and stop any secrets of the village from being revealed. They are specialists in the field."

"Then there's nothing to worry about, right?" Ami said, swallowing another orange pill from her pouch and looking out the window at the ocean waves.

"I guess…" the man said quietly, though he still couldn't help but feel that something was very wrong.

* * *

Kakashi held his head in his hands, unable to shake the sick feeling in the pits of his stomach. 'What is this?' he thought perplexed, 'Zabuza died, so why do I feel so uneasy? It feels like… I've missed something very important.'

"What's wrong, sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Oh," the man said, the blond's concerned voice bringing him out from his thoughts, "about what I was talking about before… Hunter-Nin are supposed to eliminate the corpse on the spot."

"So?" Sakura asked, not seeing his point.

"What did the boy with the mask do with Zabuza?" Kakashi asked.

"Oh yeah!" Ami said, suddenly realizing, "That guy carried him off!"

"That's right." the sensei said, "All he needed to do was bring back the head as proof. Also, the method that boy used to kill Zabuza is questionable."

"It was just senbon." Sasuke said thoughtfully. His eyes widened. "Could it be that…?"

"Yeah, it's just what you're thinking." Kakashi said.

Naruto and Sakura were confused, but Sasuke knew and Ami had a sick feeling in her gut as she realised something, and the truth hit her like a ton of bricks.

"I never got a good look at him, so I don't know about whether or not his blood was moving either..." she said quietly, "As soon as I tired to go closer, that boy knew what could happen if I did, and he stopped me..."

"What are you guys talking about?" Tazuna asked.

"Zabuza is still alive." Kakashi concluded.

"WHAT!" Tazuna, Sakura and Naruto screeched in unison.

The black-haired woman's eyes widened.

"What does that mean?" Naruto cried.

"I means he's going to come back and try to kill us all again." Ami said bluntly, placing her head in her hands.

"But you confirmed that he died, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said.

"I did confirm it." Kakashi said. "But it was most likely a near-death state. The weapon that Hunter-Nin used has a low fatality rate unless it hits a vital spot. It's mostly used in acupuncture healing and such. Hunter-Nin know the structure of the human body very well. It should be easy for them to put a person in a near-death state. First, he took the body of Zabuza home, even though it's obvious that the corpse is much heavier than him. Second, a weapon with a low fatality rate. From these two points, the goal of that boy was not to kill Zabuza, but to help him."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Maybe you're thinking too much." Tazuna said.

"No, once a ninja feels that there's something weird, he must prepare before it's too late." Kakashi said. "That's one of the shinobi's iron rules." He stopped when he saw Naruto shaking in excitement and sighed. 'He's happy to hear that Zabuza might be alive…'

"Sensei, how are you going to prepare for this before it's too late?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, you're practically a vegetable!" Ami declared.

The man chuckled. "You guys are going to go through some training." he said.

"Wait, even if we train, it's not going to be very helpful." Sakura said. "Since the enemy is a ninja that you, Kakashi-sensei Sharingan-user had difficulty with." '_Are you trying to kill us!_' she thought furiously.

"Sakura," Kakashi said lazily, "Who saved me when I had a difficult time? You four are growing at a rapid rate. Especially you, Naruto."

The boy looked up, taken aback.

"You've grown the most." the man smiled.

'It does seem that he's become more reliable,' Sakura thought, looking at the smiling boy, 'but…'

Ami suddenly noticed a presence behind her that had not been there before. She looked back over her shoulder to see a small five year old boy with brown hair, dark eyes, and wearing a white hat with two blue bands around the top of it. His clothes consisted of a cream T-shirt and a baggy, green overall.

"You know your stuff, Kakashi-sensei!" the blond said, thrilled, "Now it's getting interesting!"

"No, it's not." the boy said.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked rudely, spitting as he spoke.

"Inari!" Tazuna said, "Where were you?"

The small boy ran towards the bridge-builder and hugged him. "I'm home, grandpa."

The black-haired woman walked over and placed her hands on her hips as she bent down to speak to the boy. "Inari, say hello to them. These are ninja who escorted grandpa."

"It's okay, right Inari?" Tazuna said, stroking the boy's hatted head.

The boy's dark eyes studied the Genin carefully.

"Nice to meet you, Inari." Ami said pleasantly. "My name is Konno Ami."

The boy ignored her as he turned to speak to his mother. "Mom, they're going to die. There's no way a person can win by going against Gatoh."

Ami's smile vanished and Naruto leapt to his feet with a screech.

"What did you say, you brat!" He switched to a confident tone. "Listen up, I'm a super hero that's going to become a great ninja known as Hokage. I don't know who this Gatoh is, but I'll beat him!"

The boy scoffed. "That's stupid. There's no such thing as a hero."

"What did you say!" the blond roared, making his way towards the boy but being held back by Sakura.

"Stop it, idiot!" she yelled.

Inari turned to leave. "If you don't want to die, you should go home."

'There's something wrong with that kid…' Ami thought sadly, 'No child should have that sort of attitude.'

She glanced over at Sasuke who was looking at the boy's back in displeasure.

"Where are you going, Inari?" Tazuna asked.

"I'm going to watch the ocean." he replied.

The small boy closed the door behind himself, and Tazuna turned towards the ninja.

"I'm sorry." he said guiltily.

Naruto gritted his teeth, seething.

* * *

"Naruto?" Ami asked, "Where are you going?"

Naruto was stomping up the stairs, face incensed and set.

"I'm going to tell that brat a thing or two."

"Naruto, don't." Ami said wearily, "There's something wrong with that kid…"

"Damn right there is! And I'm gonna let him know just how much it pisses me off!"

Ami tried to say more, but Naruto was already at the boy's door, so she stopped and listened. There were a few moments of silence. All she could hear was the waves outside, and before she could filter them out of her mind, Naruto had returned to the top of the stairs, quietly descending.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, sensing the heavy mood.

Naruto was quiet a moment, then spoke in a low murmur that she had to strain to hear.

"He was crying… and holding a picture… I heard him say 'dad'… I didn't go in."

Ami was silent for a long time, at a loss of what to say. "We should leave him." she whispered.

The blond nodded.

* * *

The four Genin and Kakashi stood in a green forest, the sky cloudy and the air wet.

Ami popped another painkiller.

"We will now begin the training." the sensei said, leaning on two crutches.

"Roger!" Naruto yelled, enthusiastic as ever.

"But before that, let me once again talk about Chakra, the base for the ability as a ninja." Kakashi said.

"At a time like this?" Sasuke commented dryly.

"I already know about that." Naruto said smiling. "Chatora, right?"

''Brown tiger'? What is he talking about?' Ami wondered.

"It's Chakra." Kakashi sighed, before gesturing towards the pinkette beside himself as Naruto grimaced. "Sakura."

"Listen Naruto," Sakura said, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm going to explain this in a simple manner to save time. Chakra is the energy a ninja needs to utilize a technique. That energy comes from the body energy that is collected from every cell in the body and from the spirit energy that comes from training and experience. In other words, techniques come from these two energies that are squeezed out of the body and molded together. This process is known as molding the Chakra. And with this Chakra one is able to execute a technique by forming a seal."

"Correct, Sakura." Kakashi said. "Iruka was blessed with a nice student I see."

Sakura smiled proudly.

"What's with that?" Naruto complained. "You can just learn that stuff with your body without understanding the hard stuff."

"Exactly what Naruto said." Sasuke grunted. "We're able to use techniques anyway."

"Boys." Sakura muttered to Ami, who nodded.

"No, you guys aren't able to use your Chakra completely." Kakashi said.

"What!" Naruto exclaimed, clearly offended.

"Just listen up. Like Sakura said, molding the Chakra means to extract energies from both the body and the spirit, then mixing them up in your body. And the amount of each energy will differ from the type of energy you wish to execute. In short, the mixing will be different. You are not able to use your Chakra effectively. Even if you are able to mold a large amount of Chakra, if you cannot control the balance, your technique will only be half as effective, or not executed at all. Wasting energy will create weakness of not being able to fight for long periods of time."

'Oh yeah…' Ami remembered watching Naruto transforming in the academy. "Naruto, you spew out tons of Chakra. How do you keep going?"

Naruto shrugged. "So what do I do?" he asked the teacher.

"With your body, you'll learn how to control it." Kakashi said. "You must go through rigorous training where you put your life on the line."

"What are we going to do?" asked Sakura, a slight hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Climb a tree."

"_Climb a tree!_" the four replied in a shocked unison.

"That's right, but it's not ordinary tree climbing. You're going to climb without using your hands."

Sakura was highly skeptical of that being at all possible. "_Eh?_ How are we going to manage that?"

Ami tried to imagine what trying to climb a tree with your feet would be like, and winced.

The boys were utterly confused.

"Just watch." Kakashi said. He made a seal and the Genin felt a small amount of Chakra accumulate on the soles of his feet. The sensei then hobbled over to the tree on his crutches, over to the base… and vertically up the side.

"He's climbing…" Naruto said, in a state of utter disbelief.

"Vertically... with just his legs…" Sakura mumbled.

Ami grinned slightly. "On crutches, no less."

Kakashi was now walking upside down on the bottom of a tree branch. He stopped and called down to the children, still hanging upside down.

"This is how. Gather your Chakra to the bottom of your feet and make it attach to the tree trunk. Something like this is possible if you use Chakra."

"Hold on, how can we become strong by doing that!" Sakura demanded.

"Now we get to the main topic. The main purpose of this training is to accumulate the right amount of Chakra in the right location. This is difficult, even for a well-trained ninja. The amount of Chakra used for this tree climbing exercise is quite subtle. The most difficult place to concentrate Chakra is said to be behind the feet. In other words, if you are able to master this, you can learn any kind of technique. In theory, that is. The second purpose is to maintain that molded Chakra. Most of the time, ninja mold their Chakra during battle. In that situation, it is even more difficult to maintain that Chakra."

He reached into his pouch.

"Well, it's not like anything is going to happen even if I give this lecture. I need all of you to learn it with your bodies."

He threw each of them a kunai, embedding it in the ground at their feet.

"Use that knife to mark how high each of you can climb using your current ability. Then, try to make a new mark above that mark. You guys aren't good enough to climb by walking, so run to give yourselves a boost, and get used to it. Got it?"

Naruto pulled the kunai out of the ground, speaking confidently. "This training is too easy for me! Since I'm the guy who is growing the most right now!"

"Okay, be quiet." Kakashi said, adopting his familiar torpid expression. "Try and climb up any of the trees."

The four Genin began molding Chakra.

"All right!" Naruto yelled excitedly, "_Let's go!_"

Ami smirked slightly as she ran towards a tree and began climbing steadily. She giggled at the sound of Naruto instantly slipping off the bark, but saw Sasuke beside her, also rising quickly, then go flying off as the bark splintered beneath his feet, slashing the trunk before he flipped back, landing neatly.

'I didn't know maintaining a constant amount of Chakra was this difficult.' he thought, frustrated, 'If the Chakra is too strong, I get repelled.' He looked at Naruto, rolling on the ground and clutching his head in pain. 'If it's too weak, the hold will not be generated, and it will end up like that.'

Kakashi studied the Genin. 'I guess that's the difference between Sasuke and Naruto.' he thought, before his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Sakura's voice.

"This is easier than I thought!"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, surprised at the sight of the girl sitting up on a high tree branch, sticking her tongue out at the pair below.

"Oh? It looks like the ones who are best at controlling their Chakra are Sakura and Ami, the girls." Kakashi said.

"I've actually done this before, so I've no problem." Ami said, stopping to stand on the side of the tree, then jumping across from the top of her tree over to Sakura and hanging off the bottom of the same branch the pink-haired girl was perched on.

"Wow, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled proudly up at her. "That's something I expected from the girl I have high hopes for!"

His thoughts were a little more honest.

'I'm actually kinda pissed.'

Sasuke cursed quietly.

Sakura dropped her head in disappointment.

"I wanted Sasuke-kun to compliment me… Why does it always turn out like this?"

Ami meanwhile, was quite content, effectively dancing on the branch's underside.

"Oh yeah! Sickened, aren't you, Sasuke!"

"Your knowledge of Chakra was splendid, but your control and stamina are good as well." the silver-haired sensei complimented the rosette. "Maybe Sakura is the closest to becoming Hokage right now, and not someone else."

Naruto growled.

"The Uchiha clan isn't as great as I thought either."

Sasuke's expression hardened.

"Shut up, sensei!" Sakura yelled. 'Sasuke-kun is going to hate me.'

Ami was clapping, "No, keep going, sensei!"

"AMI!" Sakura screeched, climbing down beside her onto the bottom of the tree. "_Shut up_ or I'll knock you off this tree!"

"That's enough, Ami." the man said, "You don't count because you've done this before."

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled in agreement. "Cheater! Cheater!"

Ami was too preoccupied to reply, running down the tree and away from Sakura before the girl managed to succeed in punching her.

Kakashi watched as the boys' eyes met in a challenging glare.

'But these two, Naruto and Sasuke, have an incredible amount of Chakra hidden that Sakura and Ami can't match. If this training goes well, it will become a treasure for them.'

"All right, I'm going to catch up to Sasuke first!" Naruto said, clenching his fists and grinning in excitement. "I'm going to do this!"

* * *

The group never noticed the small, dark-eyed boy in a hat, silently watching them.

He jeered at the ninja training. "There's no point in doing something like that." he said scornfully.

* * *

**Suiton Taihoudan no Jutsu: Water Element Large Projectile Technique**

**Suiton Suijinheki no Jutsu: Water Element Water Barrier Wall Technique**

**Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu: Water Element Water Dragon Bullet Technique**

**Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu: Water Element Grand Waterfall Technique**

* * *

**I didn't want to make Ami seem like a Sue, but the tree climbing exercise was an important bonding time for Naruto and Sasuke, and I didn't want her stuck in the middle, nor did I think she seemed like the type who would say "Feck it." and just leave them to it, toddling off home herself, or improve faster than them both. Also, when her techniques are explained, if she didn't have some amount of control, there would be a big hole in how she fights. So, sorry for that, but I really didn't see how else I could manage it. :/**

**Aside from that, I hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know if you did. :)**


	9. Mirrors, Limits and Zero Visibility

**Yo! How are you guys doing? I'm studying for my Junior cert, which is on from June 9th to June 23rd, so I'll be spending time on that, for the next while and dunno if I'll get another chapter up before it's time for them, so, bear with me, I did a big, long chapter for you all. Now, you may notice that I cut out a lot of the stuff from Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi and Zabuza's points of view, and some events are summarized, but I could easily do three to five chapters if I wrote out all their battles, so give me some freedom there, please. D:**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this, and please tell me what you thought! I'm still fairly new to writing, so I'd really appreciate guidance. :D **

**And on a special note to anyone else who has exams or tests, or anything else where they need success, e.g. job interview, football game, judo grading, etc. I wish you all the best of luck! :D**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Mirrors, Limits and Zero Visibility

* * *

The sound of machinery moving, hammers banging, and men talking filled Ami and Sakura's ears as they sat at the side of the bridge. The weather had improved, the sky mostly clear and the warm sun shining down on the faces of the girls, a gentle breeze blowing the smell of sea salt about their nostrils.

Ami smiled at the absence of the fog. The need for painkillers without it had greatly decreased. She hadn't told any of the others, but the small pills, whilst being very effective, were also incredibly disgusting in regards to taste. The best way that she could think to describe them would be watermelon, baked beans, and sawdust.

Sakura yawned beside her, stretching as she did, small tears forming in her eyes.

"You girls look bored by yourselves." Tazuna said, walking past them with a plank of timber over his shoulder, a yellow construction helmet protecting his head.

The pair looked at him.

"Where's that blond kid and that arrogant guy?"

"They're training at the tree climbing exercise." Sakura said in a bored voice.

"What about you pair?" the bridge-builder asked.

"I'm smart, so Kakashi-sensei told me to guard you." Sakura said in an obvious tone.

"_Really?_" Tazuna said doubtfully, and Ami snickered as Sakura's temple bulged.

"I had already done the training, so there was no point in me staying there." Ami said smiling.

The man nodded then walked on and placed his timber down beside several other boards. A man walked over to him with his helmet under his arm.

"Tazuna-san? May I have a word with you?" he asked.

"Hmm? What's wrong Giichi?"

The man's face took on a slightly guilty look. "Well, after thinking about it… I'd like to quit."

"W-why all of a sudden?" Tazuna asked, shocked. "Not you too…"

"Tazuna," the man said, his voice now having shifted to a slightly more firm tone, "I've known you for a long time, but if I get involved, Gatoh will come after me too."

Tazuna frowned at the man.

"Everything will lose meaning if you are killed." Giichi said, looking towards the ground, his brow furrowed, then looked up to meet Tazuna's eyes. "Why don't we stop building this bridge?"

The girls were watching the conversation silently.

"I can't do that." Tazuna said resolutely, "This bridge is our bridge. This is the bridge that we've been building with the people of the town in the hopes that distribution and transportation will increase in this poor Country of the Wave, which possesses few resources."

"But if we lose our lives…"

"It's already lunch time." Tazuna said, cutting across the other man. "Let's stop for now."

"_Tazuna!_"

"Giichi. You don't have to come anymore."

* * *

"Hey, where are we going?" Sakura asked as she, Ami and Tazuna walked along a street in the small village, looking around at people in coolie hats and small market stalls.

"I've been asked to buy the ingredients for tonight's dinner." the man said.

A man walked by them with a sign reading; "I will do any job" and Ami looked around at the sound of a shopkeeper yelling "THIEF!" at a small boy running away with a string of raw sausages in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other.

Sakura stared at the sight of two small boys sitting at the edge of the street, sitting on and dressed in rags, both looking tired and hungry.

'What's with this city?' Sakura wondered.

"This is it." Tazuna said as they came to a stop outside of a little shop.

The keeper gave a tired "Welcome." as they entered.

The girls were shocked at the fruit and vegetables on display. They were small and few to be had.

'There's barely anything.' Sakura thought.

"I guess this shows just how bad things are over here." Ami whispered quietly.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock as she felt a hand near her rear. She swung her leg around screaming; "PERVERT!" as she kicked a bald, mustached man in a coat and hat in the jaw.

"T-that's not it…" he groaned, blood and spit flying from his mouth before hitting the floor hard.

Unbeknownst to her, he'd actually been trying to pick her pocket.

* * *

"I was really surprised back there." Tazuna said to the pink-haired girl as they walked back from the market.

"What's with this city?" Sakura exclaimed angrily, then flinched as she felt a hand once again on her backside. '_Again?_'

"Sakura! Don't hurt them!" Ami said quickly.

"Hey, you!" the girl said, spinning around to face… a small child with messy brown hair, blue eyes, and wearing tatty clothes. She was dirty, and seemed no older than five.

"Can I have something…?" the girl asked, holding out her tiny hands hopefully, smiling innocently.

Sakura looked at her guiltily, frowning in sympathy, small tears welling up in her eyes. She reached into her satchel and took out a few sweets. "Here." she said, handing them to the young girl, who beamed in joy.

"Thank you!" she said, overwhelmed.

Sakura nodded, unable to speak from the lump welling up in her throat as she tried not to cry.

Ami stood beside her, wiping her eyes on her arm. 'I don't have anything I can give her…'

The little girl ran away, still beaming, as if a fistful of sweets were the best thing on earth.

"It's been like this ever since Gatou came." Tazuna said angrily, "The adults here have all become cowards."

Sakura wiped her eyes.

"That's why we need the bridge right now! It will be a symbol of courage!"

The girls were silent as they listened.

"We need it to get back the spirit in this country, for the people have decided to do nothing. If only… If only that bridge is finished… this town will return to how it was before! Everyone will return to normal!"

Sakura looked up at the sky. 'Sasuke-kun… Naruto…'

Ami was silent a moment, then spoke quietly.

"Sakura."

The pink-haired girl looked at her.

"I have to go. I'll see you both later."

"Ah, okay…" Sakura mumbled, as Ami turned and ran. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Training!" the girl called back, before disappearing behind a group of people.

Tazuna and Sakura tried to see where she was headed, but after the people had moved, she was nowhere in sight.

* * *

"This is really fun!" Tazuna said happily, "It's been a while since I ate with this many people!"

Ami wasn't eating. She was too busy watching the boys. Naruto and Sasuke were stuffing their faces, constantly shoving food into their mouths, cheeks bulging, barely taking enough time to breath.

"More please!" they shouted in unison, before glaring furiously at each other, then doubling over as they vomited on the floor.

"_GROSS! GROSS! TOTALLY GROSS!_" Ami cried, leaping up from the table, as Naruto's puke splattered where here feet had been an instant before.

Sakura slammed her hands on the table and yelled at the boys.

"IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO BARF, DON'T EAT!"

"No, I'll eat." Sasuke said, wiping his mouth.

"I have to eat even if I have to force myself…" Naruto said, "I have to become strong quickly."

"AND YOU THINK PUKING IS GREAT FOR EXERCISING THE THROAT MUSCLES, OR SOMETHING!" Ami shouted caustically, smacking the blond over the head, as he was the boy closest to her. "YOU _MORON__S!_"

* * *

Inari's mother, Tsunami, was washing the dishes at the sink. Tazuna, Inari and the ninja sat at the table drinking tea, aside from Sakura, who was examining a picture hanging on the wall. It looked like a family photo with Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami, but the top left-hand corner of the picture was torn away. Judging from the person's body, it seemed to be a man.

"Um, why are you hanging a torn picture?" she asked curiously. "Inari-kun was watching this the whole time during dinner. This ripped part looks like someone intentionally removed the person who was there."

The three mist villagers in the house were silent. Tazuna and Inari had put down their tea, and the black-haired woman had froze whilst washing.

"It's my husband." she said curtly, continuing with the dishes.

"He was the man known as the hero of this town." Tazuna said.

Inari got off his chair, leaving his tea on the table and headed towards the door.

"Inari, where are you going?" his mother asked worriedly, turning urgently towards the small boy.

He never answered and simply closed the door behind himself as he left silently.

Tsunami ran after him hurriedly, pausing only to chastise Tazuna.

"Father, I told you not to talk about him in front of Inari!"

A heavy silence filled the house.

"What's wrong with Inari-kun? Sakura asked softly.

"It seems there's a reason behind this." Kakashi said.

"…Inari had a father that wasn't related to him." Tazuna said, his voice melancholy. "They were very close. Inari used to laugh a lot back then. But…" his voice cracked as his tears fell on the table in front of him, "But…" he choked, "Inari changed. After what happened with his father. The word 'courage' was forever taken away from the people of this island and Inari. After that day, and that incident…"

"What happened with Inari?" Kakashi asked.

"To explain the incident, I will need to talk about the man who was known as a hero on this island." the old man said, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes on the back of his hand.

"A hero?" Naruto asked.

"It was about three years ago when the man and Inari met each other." Tazuna said, slipping his glasses back on. "A few boys were bullying Inari. They'd stolen his dog and threw it off the pier in front of him. The boys then pushed Inari in after it, but Inari couldn't swim. It's not very important, but this was when Pochi, the dog, figured out how to dog paddle."

'Wouldn't you want to kick it?' Ami thought, annoyed.

"And if it hadn't have been for that man, he would have drowned, and that man taught Inari to always do his best to protect those he cared about. He raised Inari's confidence, and Inari became far happier after meeting him. That man's name was Kaiza. He was a fisherman who came to this island seeking his dream. Ever since that incident, Inari started becoming attached to Kaiza. He probably became attached since he lost his father before he could remember anything. He followed him around all the time like a goldfish's faeces-"

Ami smirked, then blanked her face again in respect.

"And they became just like a father and son. It didn't take long for Kaiza to become part of the family. Kaiza was also a guy that we needed in this town. When the dam burst during a storm, he was the one who swam across the gushing water and tied the lock shut. After that, the people here started calling Kaiza a hero, and he became a father that Inari could be proud of. Gatou turned his eye on this town around that time, and then, one night a group of Gatou's men beat Kaiza up, because as the hero of the town, he was an obstacle for them whilst trying to take over the island. They broke his body so badly, he could barely move, then hung him on a wooden cross and put him on display to the island's people, as an example of what would happen to anyone who opposed them. Then… they executed him. Inari… saw the whole thing…. He watched his father die… Inari changed ever since that time. Tsunami and the people of this town as well."

There was silence in the house.

Naruto frowned, remembering Inari's words; 'That's stupid. There's no such thing as a hero', and then the sight of him crying over his father. He glared at the torn picture hanging on the wall, knowing well that the picture frame that Inari had been holding more than likely contained the piece that showed Kaiza.

The other's looked over at Naruto as he shot up out of his seat and immediately fell over.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"If you're trying to train, don't." Kakashi said lazily, "You molded too much Chakra. If you move anymore, you're going to die."

"I'm going to prove to him…" the boy grunted.

"Prove what?" Sakura asked.

Naruto got to his feet, shaking. "That there are heroes in this world. I'm going to prove it to him!" he said, grinning determinedly.

* * *

"Good morning…" Sakura said, yawning and stretching herself as she walked into the kitchen tears coming up in her eyes. Ami stumbled in behind, bleary-eyed as she tied on her forehead protector, making a strange sound rather similar to 'myuh'.

The two girls sat down at the table with Tazuna, Inari, Sasuke and Kakashi. Tsunami placed two cups of tea in front of the girls and Sakura said a polite 'thank you' as Ami momentarily woke up and murmured a sleepy 'thanks'.

"Naruto didn't come back last night, either?" Tazuna asked.

"He's stupid, so he's been climbing trees by himself every night. He might be dead from excessive Chakra use." Sakura said shrugging.

"That's a horrible thing to say." Ami growled, her foggy eyes clearing as she glared at the girl next to her. "If it was Sasuke you wouldn't say that."

"Is Naruto-kun alright?" Tsunami asked worriedly. "A child staying out all night by himself…"

"There's no need to worry." Kakashi said calmly, "He is a decent ninja even if he doesn't look like one."

"I don't know about that." Sasuke said bluntly. "Maybe the idiot really is dead."

Ami scowled at him.

The raven-haired boy got up and made his way towards the door.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned.

The boy stopped a moment.

"I'm going for a walk." he said quietly.

"But we're going to eat…" she mumbled as the boy left, then looking at his place, realised that he had already finished. "That was fast." she thought, surprised, her eye twitching.

* * *

"Naruto!" Sakura called as she stood with Ami and their sensei in the forest. "What's Naruto doing?" she wondered aloud, "Sasuke-kun hasn't returned from his walk either."

"Maybe _he's_ dead." Ami commented dryly.

Sakura went to make a retort, but a kunai shot down from the sky and hit the ground in front of the group. They looked up to see Naruto lying on a tree branch on his belly, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"No way. Naruto's able to climb all the way up there now? Amazing…" Sakura mumbled, shocked, as Ami whooped proudly beside her.

"How do you like that?" the boy called down to them. "I can climb this high now!" He stood up and Ami felt her heart jump into her throat as one of his feet slipped.

Sakura and Ami screamed as Kakashi's eyes widened in horror.

"_IDIOT!_"

"_NARUTO!_"

"_THIS IS BAD!"_

The girls screamed, then gawked when Naruto swung down, hanging off the underneath of the tree by one foot.

"_Not._" he teased. "You fell for it!"

"You scared me!" Sakura yelled angrily.

"_MORON!_" Ami screeched.

'Looks like he's gotten a little better.' Kakashi thought.

Then his foot really slipped.

"NARUTO YOU IDIOT! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET SO COCKY!" Sakura screeched.

Sasuke dashed up the side of a tree and shot off its side towards Naruto, grabbing the screaming boy by his ankle as he hung off the bottom of the tree himself.

"You… idiot…" he grunted.

"Sasuke…?" Naruto mumbled, dangling below him.

Sakura squealed. "Way to go, Sasuke-kun! You amaze me!"

"For once, I agree!" Ami cried, grinning widely, "Nice work, Sasuke!"

Sakura slurped at her, smirking.

Ami grinned and slurped back.

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. 'These guys have gotten way better.'

* * *

Ami stared out the window beside her. It was late at night, a crescent moon hanging amongst the stars. Sakura, Kakashi and herself were back in Tazuna's house, and Tsunami was just serving supper. Sasuke and Naruto were still out training, and she had to admit, she was feeling slightly worried for the pair's safety.

"They're late." Sakura said anxiously, "I can understand Naruto, but Sasuke-kun?"

She turned her head towards the doorway at the sound of the handle as the two boys came in, both looking worn out and messy, Sasuke carrying Naruto on his shoulders.

Naruto grinned widely, "We both climbed to the top." he announced.

Ami grinned at Naruto, then made eye-contact with Sasuke, who gave her a calm look. She smiled at him, unsure of what else to do. He looked away towards the sensei who was speaking to him and Naruto.

"Okay." Kakashi said nodding. "Naruto, Sasuke, you two guard Tazuna-san next time as well."

The boy's faces brightened.

"Right!" Naruto yelled eagerly, trying to salute the man, but lost his balance and fell, pulling Sasuke down with him.

"You usuratonkachi." Sasuke growled, as everyone but himself, Naruto and Inari laughed.

* * *

The boys sat at the table as Tazuna began to speak. "The bridge is almost complete, thanks to you." Tazuna said cheerily.

"But don't push yourself so much." Tsunami said.

"I wanted to ask this before, but why are you still here when I lied about the request details?" the bridge-builder asked.

Kakashi was silent a moment then calmly said; "'Not doing right when you know it is right is a coward's way. There are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander.' Those are the teachings of the previous Hokage."

Inari was silent as he looked at Naruto, who had fallen asleep with his head in his arms at the table. He remembered watching his father swimming across the river when the dam had burst on that stormy night, and the proud look that he had worn when he had succeeded. He then remembered the day he had watched his father die on that cross, and his face darkened. He remembered being told by Kaiza to protect what was important to him. Tears filled his eyes as he thought once again of his defeated father's grievous expression as he looked at him for the last time.

'_Don't cry, Inari.'_

That was what his father had said. The same father that he broke his promise to always protect him and the village. The same father that he cried over every night, looking at the piece of picture with him that had been torn away from the family photo.

He felt himself starting to cry right there at the table.

"Why…?" he sobbed.

Naruto woke up and looked at him. "What?"

Inari's voice rose to a scream. "WHY ARE YOU TRYING SO HARD THAT YOU END UP LIKE THAT! YOU CAN'T BEAT GATOU'S MEN EVEN IF YOU TRAIN! NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY OR HOW MUCH YOU SAY THOSE PRETTY WORDS, WEAK PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOSE AGAINST STRONG PEOPLE!"

There was a moment of silence in the house, broken by Naruto.

"Shut up." he said rudely. "I'm different from you."

"SHUT UP!" Inari bawled, "IT PISSES ME OFF WHEN I WATCH YOU! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS COUNTRY, AND YOU'RE SO NOSY! I'M DIFFERENT FROM YOU, SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW ANY REAL PAIN AND JUST LAUGHS ALL THE TIME!"

Something in Naruto's face changed, and Ami suddenly felt a dangerous vibe in the air around him.

She suddenly remembered the girls at the academy badmouthing him on her second day, and the look of surprise and hopefulness in his face when she had asked him over.

'Naruto,' she thought, 'He was bullied before… wasn't he?'

"Is that why you're pretending to be the main character of a tragedy and just crying?" the blond said in a dangerously quiet voice.

Inari flinched at his tone.

"An idiot like you can just keep crying, you _crybaby_." the blond snarled.

"Naruto, that's too much!" Sakura scolded.

The boy she was speaking to simply stood up and left.

"Naruto…"

Inari grit his teeth, still sniveling.

* * *

"Is Inari alright, sensei?" Sakura asked nervously.

"He's fine." the man said calmly, "I had a little talk with him and explained a bit about Naruto. He understands now."

"Speaking of which, you're going to get your head eaten off by Naruto when we get back." Ami mumbled, "He's not going to be happy about being left behind."

"He's a wreck." Sakura said. "He could use the rest."

"Please take care of Naruto." Kakashi said to Tsunami. "He used his body to the limit, so I don't think he should be able to move today."

"Kakashi-san, is your body feeling well now?" Tsunami asked worriedly.

Kakashi chuckled. "Yes, somehow…"

"Bye." Tazuna said waving.

"What happened?" Tazuna demanded.

The bridge workers were all lying on the ground, groaning in pain, their tools scattered about them.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"It can't be…" Kakashi thought.

Ami cursed as mist flooded her vision and she took another pill. 'He's back from the dead. Wonderful.'

"Sasuke, Sakura, Ami!" Kakashi said as he, the Genin and Tazuna moved towards each other. "He's coming!"

They drew their kunai.

'So he's really alive.' Kakashi thought, frustrated, 'And he's shown himself already.'

"Kakashi-sensei, this is the Kirigakure no Jutsu, right?" Sakura asked.

Ami could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kakashi." Zabuza's voice echoed, sounding from all around them, its source indistinguishable. "And you're still carrying those kids."

Ami could feel Sasuke quivering once again beside her and cursed.

"He's shaking again." Zabuza's voice resonated. "How pitiful."

Their eyes widened. There were Zabuza clones surrounding them.

'Oh, crap!' the brunette thought, 'And Sasuke's scared this time too!'

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw as Sasuke smirked.

"_I'm shaking with excitement._" he practically purred.

"Go for it, Sasuke." Kakashi said smiling.

The Zabuza facing Sasuke swung for him, but was slashed down into water by the boy, along with all the others.

'I can see them!' the raven haired boy thought.

"Oh? He can defeat the Water Clones." the real Zabuza said in an impressed voice, stepping out of the mist. "That kid got stronger."

'He really did.' Ami thought, unable to help admiring the boy's progress.

"A rival has appeared for you, Haku." the Missing-Nin said, the masked boy beside him.

"It seems like it." Haku replied.

There was a silence as the two groups faced other.

"Oh my… it seems my prediction was right." Kakashi said slothfully.

"Your prediction?" Tazuna questioned.

"The masked guy."

Sakura's jaw dropped.

"Just as I thought too." Sasuke said calmly.

Ami nodded in agreement with a light "Un".

"He's on Zabuza's side no matter how you look at it." Kakashi said, "They're lined up so nicely."

"Who does he think he is, coming out like that?" Sakura said, annoyed.

"I hate conceited kids like that." Kakashi droned.

"He's better than you in that field, sensei."

"Really?"

"I'll fight him." Sasuke said.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"He pulled that stupid act on us… I hate people like him."

"You're so cool, Sasuke-kun!"

'Sakura never corrects Sasuke…' Kakashi thought miserably.

"Are you sure you're able for him?" Ami asked.

The sensei sighed. 'At least she thinks.'

"I'll be fine."

"…If you get in trouble I'll try to back you up. And I'm not listening to any protests."

Sasuke glared at her, but she met it calmly.

"You're my teammate." she said. "I'm not going to let you die because of your pride."

"You couldn't do anything anyway,_ Nami._"

"Shut up. I've been practicing the last week too."

"He's quite a boy." Haku said. "Even if a water clone only contains one tenth of the original's power, he dealt with those clones well."

"But we made the first move." Zabuza said, his features twisting underneath his face's bandages. "Go."

"Yes sir."

Haku shot towards them at alarming speed, his body twisting like a tornado, wind whipping around him..

"What?" Ami gasped, shocked at the opponent's pace. 'He's so fast!'

She looked towards Sasuke and was shocked. Not only had he shrugged off this guy's swiftness and raised his weapons, he was grinning.

'Sasuke's either insane, way too cocky, or actually has improved more than I thought.' she thought, 'I seriously hope it's neither of the first two.

The two boys locked weapons, Sasuke with a kunai, Haku with a senbon.

"Oh? He was able to match his speed." Zabuza said, watching the pair.

'Sasuke really has improved a lot.' Ami thought, suddenly feeling embarrassed that she had been proud of her own progress.

Kakashi was worried. "Sakura, Ami. Stick with Tazuna-san and don't get too far from me. We'll let Sasuke deal with him."

"Un." the pink-haired girl agreed, jumping in front of Tazuna.

Ami bit her lip, worried for the boy, but also stepped closer towards the bridge-builder. Her heart jumped up into her throat when she saw the two ravens suddenly jerk their weapons back and spin, clashing weapons twice in the attack, the metal of their kunai and needle clinging through the misty air.

'Dammit!' she thought, 'Don't you dare die, Sasuke!'

"I don't want to kill you, but you won't back off, right?" Haku grunted.

"What are you, _stupid?_" Sasuke grunted back.

"As I thought… but you won't be able to keep up with me for my next move. And I'm already two steps ahead of you."

"Two steps ahead?" Sasuke questioned.

"The first one is the water on the ground and the second one is that I'm keeping one of your arms busy. Therefore, you can only take and block my attacks." He rose his unoccupied arm in a one handed seal.

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. 'What! He's creating seals with one hand!'

Haku's hand and fingers twisted into several signs.

'Seals with one hand…' Kakashi thought, shocked, 'I've never seen that before!'

Haku had finished. "Flying water of a thousand kills."

He stomped in the water on the ground and it rose up above their heads.

''I don't want to kill you' he said?' Zabuza thought, doubtful, 'Is that what he really thinks?'

The liquid in the air formed into hundreds of icy spines.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, scowling at the black-haired boy casting the jutsu.

"Don't die!" Ami growled, "Don't you dare die!"

Sasuke began molding his Chakra. 'Remember the training!' he thought. 'Mold up Chakra immediately… and send it straight to my legs!'

The needles shot straight for him.

Haku jumped back, sliding on the wet surface of the bridge. He looked up at where Sasuke had been.

'He disappeared…'

Sasuke was in the air and just as Haku saw him, flung three several shuriken his way.

The mist ninja jumped back out of the way of the projectiles, splashing each time he landed.

"You're pretty slow." Sasuke said from behind him. "Now, you can only receive and block my attacks."

Haku spun round and blocked a punch from Sasuke, who then flicked a kunai knife at him from his other hand. Haku narrowly dodged the attack and ducked, only to receive a strong kick from Sasuke straight to the face. The masked boy went flying back to fall at Zabuza's feet.

Zabuza stared at him, shocked. "Haku lost in speed?"

"Looks like my speed's better." Sasuke said smugly.

"You can't make fun of our team just because we have children." Kakashi said tiredly. "Sasuke is Konohagakure's top rookie."

'He's earned the title, I guess.' Ami thought, feeling slightly embarrassed. 'I feel as useless as a five year old when I watch him fight.'

"Sakura is the village's shrewdest child."

Sakura smiled proudly. 'TAKE THAT, DAMMIT!' she thought smugly.

"Ami is the best in water style techniques."

'I still have lots to improve on…' she thought, 'But I guess that's true.'

"And the other one likes to show off and is number one in surprising people. He's the noisy ninja Naruto."

Zabuza began to laugh darkly. "Haku, you understand that you're going to get defeated like this?"

"Yes." the boy said, standing up, as Chakra began to leak out of his body.

"What is that…?" Sasuke mumbled.

"It's a shame." Haku said.

"That's… cold air." Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes.

Haku made a sign.

Water began rising up from the ground, forming into large, icy mirrors.

Sasuke cursed as he watched the slabs being created, enclosing him in a cage of the reflective surfaces.

"Master Art; Ice Crystal mirrors."

Each of the mirrors began glowing a brilliant white.

"What is that technique?" Kakashi wondered.

Haku stepped into the back of a mirror and his image molded into the surface as his body slipped into it.

Sakura and Ami gasped.

Sasuke stared in shock as each of the mirrors filled with Haku's image.

'These are… mirrors.' Sasuke comprehended, stunned, "What is he going to do?"

Kakashi cursed and dashed towards the mirrors towards Sasuke.

Zabuza shot in front of him.

"I'm your opponent. Remember?" he said in a menacing tone, "He's a goner now that Haku has used that technique."

"Let's begin." Haku said, his voice echoing from all of the mirrors. "I will show you my true speed."

Each of the mirror images threw senbon at the boy, so quickly he was unable to dodge, but of all the ones that seemed to have been thrown, only one at a time was hitting him. They ripped his T-shirt sleeves, slicing the flesh on his arms.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi roared.

The boy was grunting in pain as needles continuously slashed his body, unable to see where they were coming from.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried.

A needle hit his hand and his kunai was knocked away, landing in front of a horrified Sakura. Sasuke then covered his head, now roaring in pain as the senbon showered down on him, tearing his body to ribbons.

"If you move without thinking," he said to Kakashi, "I'll kill the three behind you."

Sasuke was still being shredded to bits inside the mirrors, screaming in agony.

"Tazuna-san, I'm sorry. I have to move from here a moment." Sakura said.

"Sure. Go." the bridge builder replied.

"I'll guard." Ami said.

Sakura pulled Sasuke's kunai from the ground, then dashed towards Sasuke. She jumped into the air and flung the kunai in between the mirrors of Haku's technique.

Zabuza's eyes widened.

"Take it!" she screamed to her teammate inside.

Sasuke opened his eyes and saw the kunai shooting towards him, he reached up to catch it, but Haku's upper body shot out from the mirror and he grabbed it out of the air. The masked boy looked at the weapon, then spun it in his hand so the point was facing downward, towards Sasuke.

"He caught it…" Sakura gasped, disbelieving.

Sasuke collapsed on the floor in defeat.

Suddenly, a shuriken shot out of nowhere and struck Haku's masked face. He fell from the mirror and hit the ground.

A loud bang of smoke appeared on the bridge.

"Who's that?" Sakura asked no one in particular.

Haku pushed himself to his knees. "The noisy ninja that's number one in surprising people…" he said quietly.

'That idiot…' Sasuke thought, having instantly realised who it was, but relaxing slightly at the senbon having stopped when Haku had fallen from the mirror. 'What a show off.'

His speculations were soon confirmed once the smoke cleared from the figure at the source of the bang.

"Uzumaki Naruto is here!" the blond ninja of Konohagakure said, grinning widely. "Now that I'm here, everything's going to be just fine!"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried happily.

"The main character of a story usually appears like this and defeats the enemy in a flash!" the blond continued.

'He talks too much…' Sasuke thought.

'Why did he do that?' Ami cringed to herself.

'That idiot.' Kakashi thought, cringing, 'He needs to take the enemy by surprise, not appear like that.'

"All right! Let's do this!" Naruto yelled zestfully, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Zabuza's eyes narrowed and he flung several weapons towards the blond ninja.

"_Shit! Naruto, dodge it!_" Kakashi yelled.

Everyone's jaws dropped when Haku threw senbon, deflecting the shuriken.

"What?" Zabuza thought.

"He was saved…" Sakura mumbled in awe.

"How lucky." Tazuna commented, "The enemies' attacks collided with other!"

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sakura yelled.

"What kind of idiot tries to execute a technique right in front of an enemy!" Kakashi demanded. "A shinobi's essence lies within deception! It relies on your ability to deceive your enemy. When you execute a technique, you must do it while the enemy is not looking. You must take them by surprise, and think beyond normal boundaries! The way you appeared back there only makes you target practice."

"Oh crap… I came here to help though…!" Naruto wailed.

"Haku," Zabuza inquired, "Why did you block my attack like that?"

"Zabuza-san, leave him to me." the boy requested. "Please let me do this fight my way."

"What did you say?" Naruto growled.

There was a moment of silence, broken by Zabuza grunting.

"So, you don't want me to interfere, Haku… As usual, you're too easy on the enemy."

"I'm sorry." the boy said quietly.

'Too easy on the enemy, eh?' Sasuke thought, 'He's right. Judging from these wounds, I'm sure he's attacking me with those needles, but he hasn't gone for any vital areas.' He scowled at Haku. 'Is he just trying to torture me?'

"Naruto!" Ami yelled.

The boy looked at her.

"If you want to help, help Sasuke! He's inside the mirrors! We'll keep Zabuza busy! We know you aren't able for him, just delay him! We'll get to you both as soon as possible! Just… _neither of you die!_"

"Don't be reckless." Zabuza said, stepping in front of her. "If any of you move, you know what will happen to the geezer behind you."

Another cry of pain sounded from inside Haku's jutsu.

Ami looked over and saw that Haku's needles had started again.

"_Dammit, don't die!_" the brown-haired girl roared. "_Naruto, you attack the mirrors from the outside!_"

She could have strangled her teammate for what he did next.

The moron waddled right inside the mirrors.

The spectators could clearly hear the conversation that ensued.

"Yo! I came to help you! You all right, Sasuke?"

"_You usuratonkachi! You're a ninja, be more careful!_" Sasuke said, spitting slightly as he spoke.

"_What's with that attitude? I came to help you!_"Naruto replied, spitting twice as much as the other boy, a human watering can.

Sasuke was shaking with rage that his teammate could be so stupid. "If you come into the mirrors as well… _FUCK!_ Nevermind, you idiot!"

"'Idiot'? What do you mean idiot!" Naruto shouted.

"YOU _ARE_ AN IDIOT!" Ami bellowed from outside.

'He is, no doubt, the number one ninja at surprising people.' Kakashi thought tiredly. 'He came to help, but he's only making the situation worse.'

Sasuke tried to melt the mirrors with a fireball, but his jutsu had barely any effect on the ice.

"That didn't help at all!" Naruto exclaimed rudely.

"You'd need more firepower than that to melt these mirrors." Haku said.

The boys screamed in pain as the mirrors glowed white again and senbon began shooting at them both.

Naruto cursed. "Where is he attacking from? Are those replications?" He got to his feet. "Where's the real one?"

"There's no point in trying to follow me with your eyes." Haku's voice echoed. "I will never be caught."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, solid copies of himself materializing in bangs of smoke.

"Stop it!" Sasuke cried, but he was too late. The clones and original were all flying straight for the mirrors.

"I'll destroy all of the mirrors and see which one is real!"

The clones were sliced with the senbon and every one exploded in a poof of white cloud, the real falling to the ground, landing painfully.

"This is a traveling technique that utilizes mirror reflections that only reflect me." Haku said. "From my speed, you two look like you're standing still."

Kakashi suddenly realised something as he watched Haku. "As I thought! That's a bloodline limit technique!" he said.

Zabuza chuckled.

"Bloodline limit?" Sakura questioned.

"It's the same kind of thing as my Sharingan." Kakashi said. "They are techniques that are only passed down through deep blood relations and through the geneology of those with superior body structures."

"That means…!" Sakura cried.

"Yes. Even I cannot copy that technique." Kakashi said, "And there is no way to get past that technique."

Naruto swore under his breath. "So what…?"

Sasuke looked at him.

"I can't die here!" the blond snarled. "I still have a dream I need to achieve… To become Hokage and make all the villagers recognize me!"

Haku was silent a moment.

"It is difficult for me to become a pure ninja." he said quietly. "If possible, I do not want to kill you, and I do not want to make you kill me." His voice took on a firmer tone. "However, if you are going to fight me, I will kill my compassion and become a ninja. This bridge is a battleground that leads to the dreams of many people. I will fight for my dream, and you will fight for your dreams. Please do not hold any grudges. I want to protect an important person. I want to work for him, fight for him, and make his dreams come true. That is my dream. In order to make it come true, I will become a ninja." He pulled out a senbon and held it tensely between his fingers. "_I will kill you!_"

* * *

Ami was beginning to get seriously worried about the boys.

She, Kakashi, and Sakura had been fighting Zabuza for the past half hour, and still hadn't been able to get to Naruto and Sasuke to help them.

'I've no idea what's happening to them…' she thought nervously, 'Zabuza said that boy has killed tons of people already, and the guys don't have it in them to kill! Also, that boy is supposedly stronger than Zabuza! How the hell are we to help them even if we do kill this bastard!' she thought furiously, face darkening. She aimed a kick at the man but he easily dodged, jumping up, raising a foot to slam down onto her. Ami leapt back, making seals as she went. A huge dragon of water rose up from the bridge and flew at Zabuza.

'That's sensei's technique!' Sakura realised. 'Is that what she was training on?'

Zabuza dodged the attack and it hit the back of the mirrors instead, almost soaking Sasuke and Naruto inside, before being desperately stopped by Ami, who nearly fell over to perform the maneuver, and hurled at Zabuza again.

'That water's salty! No way I'm letting it touch the guys!' she thought, forming a seal to make a water fist with enough strength to wash away a small house.

Zabuza barely dodged, the technique skimming his face, practically sanding the skin on his forehead and cheek off.

She couldn't help but grin when she saw it bleeding, the red liquid getting into his eyes, obstructing his vision.

'I have to focus on Zabuza for the time being!' Ami thought, 'Sorry guys, but for now, it's just the two of you. Just hang on!'

The brunette was brought back to her own battle when she felt herself being punched in the stomach by Zabuza. She went flying a few feet and hit the ground hard, gagging as blood trickled from her mouth.

"Ami!" Sakura screamed. "Are you okay!"

"_Just mind Tazuna!_" the water-user replied gruffly, "_Don't distract yourself by worrying about me, Sasuke, or anyone else! Tazuna is your priority!_"

Sakura flinched at the sound in the other girl's voice.

Ami was trying to think of what to do. Her head was pounding again. She pulled out another painkiller whilst Kakashi fought Zabuza for a moment.

'According to Zabuza, Haku also understands sensei's Sharingan, and told Zabuza how to fight it, so that eye is useless against both of them now too! Haku supposedly watched everything else as well, so he studied all of our attacks before rescuing Zabuza as well, and he uses water and wind to make ice so I'm totally screwed if I go up against him!' She felt a hard blow to the side of her jaw and swore as she felt her head hit the railing of the bridge. '_I can't see anything in this fucking mist!_ I'm only in the way! I'd better get back to Tazuna and Sakura!'

Ami tried to concentrate to find the denser areas of water in the thickly mist-laden air, further confused by the water under the bridge.

'I'm nowhere near perfect, but I hope to god that I got this down well enough to find them.' she thought, 'I think… they're to my upper right… about fifteen metres away.'

She headed that way, and began to see two figures through the fog.

"Sakura? Tazuna?" she called.

"Ami, it that you?" came the reply.

The brunette sighed in relief as she recognized her female teammate's voice, and saw the bridge-builder behind her. 'Good. I was right.' "I'm useless out there, so I'm going to try and guard you, Tazuna-san." the girl said, stepping beside Sakura, then tried divining the water in Kakashi and Zabuza's bodies again. "Sensei and Zabuza are still fighting.' she reported to the others.

Kakashi had slowed down a fair bit, due to a massive wound that Zabuza had dealt him earlier when he stood in front of Sakura and Tazuna to protect them from an attack by Zabuza.

'Sasuke knows about the Sharingan because it's a bloodline limit of the Uchiha!' Ami realised suddenly, nearly smacking herself for not remembering where she had heard the name of the clan sooner. 'And Sasuke's not just _an_ Uchiha. He's the last of them. His clan was wiped out by a single ninja in one night.'

She was suddenly seeing the boy in a whole new light.

'Sasuke's an orphan. He's the last one. He has no family at all. That happened a few years ago. He must've been something like eight. _...He was Aiko's age._' She felt tears come up in her eyes, but blinked them away. 'Come on, my visibility is bad enough as it is. I can't go crying as well. I'll try and be nicer to Sasuke when we get out of this. I'll try and be the best friend I can to him, because… _nobody should be alone!_' She cursed and wiped her eyes on the back of her hands.

Sakura was shaking slightly beside her.

"Sakura. Calm down."

The pink-haired girl looked at her, still quivering.

"_Sasuke's no dodo bird!_" Ami said solidly, "He survived back then, and he'll survive now! And Naruto is the most surprising ninja in Konoha! He'll get through this too! We just have to believe in the guys! Focus on Tazuna's protection!"

She suddenly felt a horrible feeling wash over her.

"A-Ami?" Sakura whimpered. "D-do you feel that?"

"I have no idea what it is… but yeah, I do."

It was as though she was being choked by an invisible hand. The air was filled with bloodlust that paralyzed your body. She could feel herself shaking. Every muscle in her body was screaming for her to run, but she was too terrified to move.

The malicious intent of the two Jounins earlier had been nothing compared to this.

"It's coming from the mirrors!" Sakura whispered, her voice trembling.

Ami realised that she was right.

'Is that… Chakra?'

'It sounds like the mirrors are breaking!' Ami thought. 'Did Naruto and Sasuke get him? If so, why is there this horrible feeling? Like Sakura said, it's definitely coming from the mirrors!"

Suddenly, silence fell and the sinister Chakra vanished.

The girls released breaths that they hadn't noticed they had been holding.

"What… was that?" Sakura gasped.

A few minutes later, the girls and Tazuna could hear something else.

Barking, growling and snarling.

"What's that sound?" Tazuna asked.

"What's going on?" Sakura wondered aloud.

'They sound like animals. Are they canines of some sort?' Ami wondered.

"The mist is clearing." Tazuna noted.

Zabuza was covered in dogs of different sizes and breeds, unable to move an inch. Three smaller dogs were holding his legs, two on his shins and one on his right foot. Another two held his sword down and gripped his right arm in their teeth. And a huge canine, larger than the size of Zabuza himself, clutched his back and bound his arms as it sank its teeth into his shoulder. A tiny dog held off his headband, dangling in the air.

"This is a summoning technique for pursuing purposes." the girls heard their sensei say. "I stopped your attack two times and bled each time for this purpose. Your weapons have the scent of my blood on them. These are my cute ninja dogs, and their noses work better than any other dog's. You're the one who has fallen into the trap."

'Nice, sensei!' Ami thought, grinning.

"The mist has cleared." Kakashi noted. "Your future is death."

"I don't care about your bluffs." Zabuza said.

"Don't act so tough. You can't do anything in this situation. Your death is certain. Zabuza, you fooled around too much. Your ambitions were too big. You failed in the assassination of the Mizukage, and the coup d'etat. You ran away with a few subordinates and became an exiled ninja. Your name was given to the village of Konoha immediately. In order to gain money for retaliation, and to avoid prosecution from the Hunter-Nin, you joined up with vermin like Gatoh."

The Missing-Nin was silent.

"Zabuza, do you think I survived with just this Sharingan?" Kakashi asked. "I'll show you my original technique. It's not a copy."

He made a few hand signs, then a ring of fiercely crackling Chakra appeared around his feet, collecting into his hand.

Ami felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end at the sight of the lightning Chakra. She cursed quietly. 'I'm scared of lightning.'

"_Raikiri!_" Kakashi shouted.

"What the…? I can see the Chakra in his hand!' Zabuza thought, both amazed and terrified.

"You're too dangerous." Kakashi said. "The person you're trying to kill; Tazuna-san, is this country's courage. The bridge he is trying to create is this country's courage. Your ambition sacrifices too many people. That's not what a ninja's supposed to do."

"Who cares?" Zabuza sneered. "I have fought for my ideal. And that won't change in the future, either."

"I'll say this one more time." Kakashi said.

"_Huh?_"

"Give up. Your future is death."

"The mist has settled." Tazuna commented.

"There are two people over there." Sakura said. "It looks like they're staring at each other."

"Huh? I can't see very well." Tazuna said.

'Which one is sensei?' Sakura wondered. "Ami."

The brunette looked at her.

"You've been practicing divining, right? Can you check which one is sensei?"

"I'm not that good yet Sakura. To tell the difference I'd need to be able to go into great depth of the liquids in both their bodies and from that, build up an image of their body structures in my mind at the same time, then try and tell the difference. If it was a big man and a small girl I could do it, but not here."

"I see…" Sakura said, before gasping. "One of them moved!"

"It's Kakashi sensei!"

Kakashi was running towards the dog-covered Zabuza, raikiri in hand, aiming straight for the Missing-Nin's chest.

'He's going to kill him!' Ami realised.

Gore splattered the ground.

But it wasn't Zabuza's, nor was it Kakashi's.

Haku had jumped between the two men, and taken the fatal lightning attack straight to the heart.

The dogs vanished in bangs of white cloud.

The boy vomited crimson and gripped Kakashi's arm. "Zabuza-san…" he heaved.

"My future is death?" Zabuza scoffed, laughing, "Wrong again, Kakashi."

Naruto came running towards them, then froze at the sight of Haku.

"That masked boy…" Tazuna mumbled.

'I can't believe he jumped in here to protect Zabuza…' Kakashi thought, horrified with what he had just done as he looked at the boy, 'This child is already dead.'

Zabuza chuckled darkly. "Splendid, Haku." He roared as he swung his gigantic sword towards the silver-haired man, preparing to cut through his subordinate's corpse simply to get to him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura screamed.

"I sure picked up something nice!" Zabuza yelled. "He gave me this great opportunity right at the end!"

Kakashi tried to pull his arm loose from Haku, but the boy, even in death, was gripping it tightly in his hands, and so, holding the boy's corpse in his arms, Kakashi jumped back out of the way of Zabuza's sword.

The Missing-Nin chuckled darkly. "So you were able to dodge that because he's dead."

"I won't forgive him!"! Naruto growled, shaking in rage.

"Naruto! Stay there and watch!" Kakashi commanded, before gently setting Haku's body down on the ground and closing his eyes. "This is my battle."

Sakura stared at the blond-haired boy across from her. "Naruto?"

"Naruto!" Ami said, smiling in relief.

"Naruto!" Sakura called, "You're okay! Sasuke is…?"

The boy didn't reply.

"Naruto? Where's Sasuke?" Sakura asked, feeling a tinge of worry.

He couldn't look at her.

Sakura's eyes widened as she understood what his silence must mean.

"Oh, no…" Ami whispered.

* * *

"Sakura…" Kakashi murmured, looking over at the pink-haired girl, pitying how she must feel.

"Kakashi! You don't have time to look away!" Zabuza yelled, running towards him, sword at the ready.

The sensei countered Zabuza with a kick to the jaw.

* * *

Sakura couldn't speak.

"I'll go too." Tazuna said quietly, understanding the situation. "That way you won't be disobeying your sensei's orders."

Sakura took his hand with a quiet 'okay'.

Ami stayed still, unable to accept what everything that had happened was screaming at her. She watched as they both ran past Naruto, who looked as though he was trying his hardest not to cry and came to where Sasuke was, lying still on the ground.

Sakura froze, then dropped to her knees beside the boy.

His body was covered in scratches and cuts, his flesh stuck full of needles, and a trail of blood had dried beside his mouth. He was even paler than usual.

The pink-haired girl touched his face.

"He's cold… this isn't an illusion, huh?"

She fell onto his chest and began to sob uncontrollably, and Ami felt the truth hit her, cold and hard as her teammate's body.

He wasn't tired, he wasn't hurt, but he wasn't okay.

He was dead.


	10. Death, Mourning and Being a Tool

**Looks like I churned out another chapter after all. ^^; Aw well, I like writing this story. It helps with stress, and I've been studying too. :]**

**Enjoy. :] And if you find any mistakes, no matter how small, please tell me. (Although I think I got them all... but just in case!) :]**

******I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Death, Mourning and Being a Tool

* * *

'Why… why can't I hit him?' Zabuza thought, panting as he glared through the mist-less air at Kakashi, who had just leaped out of the way of his attack. His left arm had been rendered useless by two kunai that the masked man had stabbed him in the shoulder with. Zabuza swore and rushed at him again, but Kakashi easily countered him with two blows to the face.

Zabuza glared furiously at the man, cursing, then swinging at him again, Kakashi simply stepping back out of the way. He rose his sword again and attempted to bring it down on top of the sensei, who vanished, appearing behind him with a hand on his throat.

"You can't win in the state you are in." Kakashi said.

"What did you say?" Zabuza growled.

"You don't understand the true meaning of being strong."

Zabuza was silent.

* * *

Ami felt numb with the shock of what she was witnessing.

Someone on their team was dead.

She ran towards Tazuna, Sakura and her fallen teammate, screaming the boy's name in horror. "_Sasuke!_"

The girl stopped and stared at the beaten body of the boy, Sakura bawling on top of him, clutching his clothes in her fists, violent sobs racking her body.

Ami fell to her knees, unable to take it in.

Tears filled her eyes as she tried to take the pulse of his freezing neck.

"This isn't happening…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "It's not… How could you die…?"

Tears dripped from her face onto his as Sakura released a miserable wail, the boy's name buried somewhere in the grief.

Tazuna bowed his head. "So this is the life of a ninja… it's too cruel…"

'I only just met him…' the brunette thought, feeling herself beginning to shake. 'I was just starting to get along better with him… It was gradual, but it was there… and now… _he's dead_…' She squinted at her teammate's tired, ashen face, trying to blink away the tears to get a decent look at him.

'_It's no good._' A small voice in her head said quietly. '_Nothing you can do will help him now._ _He's gone._'

"_SASUKE!_"

* * *

Kakashi spun two kunai on his fingers, then grabbed them, points turned on Zabuza.

"Farewell, _Demon_!"

Zabuza's eyes widened and he swung his sword round towards Kakashi's unguarded side.

The sensei's eyes widened and he stabbed the arm holding the sword instead to slash the muscles inside, then propelled himself away by pushing off against Zabuza's arm as the Missing-Nin's sword went flying off, skidding to a halt at the side of the bridge.

"Now you can't use your arms." Kakashi said, "You can't form any seals anymore."

Kakashi, Zabuza, and Naruto turned their heads at the sound of a stick tapping.

A tiny man in a business suit holding a cane stood before them, a huge mob of clearly rogue ninja behind him. He had sunglasses and sandy hair, and a cast wrapped around his left hand.

"Looks like you got beaten pretty badly." he sneered. "I'm disappointed Zabuza."

"Gatou… why did you come here?" Zabuza asked roughly, "And why do you have those subordinates?"

Ami lifted her head. 'Gatou…? He's Gatou?'

The small man snickered. "We had a little change in plans. I'm sorry Zabuza, but you're going to die here."

The Missing-Nin's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"If I rent official ninja, it would cost a lot of money, so I rented an exiled ninja like you. If you ninja had just killed each other, it would have saved me trouble and money. Really, and you call yourself the Demon of the Hidden Mist? You're just a cute devil if you ask me."

The throng behind him laughed.

'Why are there so many of them?' Naruto thought, shocked at the amount of ninja the small man had with him.

"_Gatou?_" Ami repeated, red eyes staring the man down. "_Did you say 'Gatou'?_"

"Ami, stay where you are!" Kakashi ordered.

She wasn't listening.

"_The Gatou that hired Zabuza?_"

The businessman glared at her. "What do you want with me, you _brat_?" he said nastily.

"_Are you Gatou?_"

"Who the hell is _she_?" Gatou growled to one of the ninja behind him. "She's pissing me off. Kill her."

"Gotcha." the ninja, a dark-skinned man with tattoos and a bandanna, sporting several scars on his face said gruffly, unsheathing the short sword he wore on his back.

"_Ami, run!_" Kakashi shouted, but the girl didn't seem to hear him.

Her eyes narrowed and she shot straight at the man, roaring like some sort of deranged animal.

"_UCHIHA SASUKE WAS IMPORTANT TO ME!__ YOU PIECE OF SHIT!_"

The girl leaped at the ninja who was coming for her, wrapping her legs around his shoulders and swinging around his throat so that she was hanging down his back, then squeezed her knees together, snapping his neck. The huge man dropped lifelessly to the ground.

'_Ami just killed someone!_' Naruto thought, horrified.

"_SHIT!_" Gatou yelled, "Get her!"

Kakashi leapt at Ami and grabbed her by the arm, trying to stop her.

"AMI! STOP NOW!" he yelled.

_"LET ME GO!" _she shrieked, grabbing the man's hand and tightening her grip until she was cutting his skin with her nails. _"OR I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING ARM OFF!" _Her clawing hand began to glow with Chakra and Kakashi instantly released her as though he had been burned, suddenly remembering something about the Konno clan.

"SHIT! AMI, NO!"

"AMI!" Naruto shouted, "STOP! YOU'LL DIE!"

The girl was rushing straight for Gatou when she was snatched and hoisted into the air by her collar by another ninja, this time a man in a dark, woolen hat and coat with a long sword hanging in a sheath from his waist. She shrieked furiously and grabbed the rogue's hands, pumping Chakra into them, then slapped her hands together, but before she could complete the technique, the ninja holding her was kicked in the face by her sensei, who then seized her from behind and threw her out of the crowd of ninja.

She hit the ground with a thud and went to get up again, but the silver-haired man dashed back out of the mass of rogues and clutched the girl, pinning her arms behind her back and pushing her to the ground.

"LET GO!" she howled, thrashing violently, "LET GO! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM! IT'S HIS FAULT! _IT'S HIS FAULT!_" She began to bawl. "_SASUKE'S DEAD BECAUSE OF HIM!_"

"AMI!" Kakashi yelled, "Look at yourself!"

The girl fell silent as she realised her own state. She was on the ground, her sensei having to hold her down with his knee in her back, whilst she was screaming, wailing, and going absolutely berserk.

"I'm sorry…" she whimpered. "but…" she turned her face as well as she could, trying to look at her sensei, tears running down her dirty, red face. "He killed Sasuke...!"

"I know." Kakashi said, releasing her. "But you need to calm down."

"…Kakashi, I'm sorry, but the battle ends here." Zabuza said quietly. "Since I don't have a reason to kill Tazuna, I have no reason to fight you."

"Yeah, you're right." Kakashi said tiredly, as Gatou began to walk towards Haku's body in front of them, cane tapping all the way.

"Oh yes, I owe this guy a favor…" he said evilly, "For gripping my hand until it broke!" He gave the boy's face a hard kick. "Tch…This guy's already dead…" the businessman said, prodding the boy's face with his walking stick.

"BASTARD!" Naruto roared, the veins bulging in his temples as he ran at the man. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

He was stopped by Kakashi, who grabbed him by the back of his orange jacket, holding back the flailing boy.

"Stop! Don't move so carelessly!"

"Why don't you say something, too!" the blond demanded, screaming at Zabuza, who had remained emotionless in reaction to Gatou having kicked Haku. "He was on your side, right?"

"Shut up, kid." the bandaged man growled. "Haku is already dead."

"You really don't feel anything about what he did? You were with him a long time, right?" Naruto demanded.

"Like how Gatou used me, I was also just using Haku." the man replied cruelly. "I've said this before. We ninja are just tools. I wanted his abilities, not him. I have no regrets."

"…Do you really mean that?" Naruto asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

"Stop, Naruto." Kakashi said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We don't have to fight him anymore. Besides-"

The boy threw his hand off angrily.

"Shut up! He's still my enemy!"

Zabuza scowled at the child, who was panting in rage.

* * *

Whilst inside the mirrors with Haku, Sasuke and Naruto had discovered that in actuality, the boy had never wanted to become a ninja, and had only done so after being orphaned when his parents died and taken in by Zabuza because of his bloodline, as he wanted to be useful and help him.

He had thrown away his own dreams, making it his sole purpose in life to fulfill Zabuza's, happy to act as his tool, simply because he knew it made him wanted by someone, somewhere in the world.

He had lived a sad life, but he was content, happy even, just to be by Zabuza's side, assisting him and living as a weapon.

* * *

"He… he really loved you!" Naruto shouted, jabbing his finger in the dead Haku's direction, his voice beginning to crack as he tried to keep himself from crying. "He really, really loved you! And you really don't think anything of him at all? Do you really… really not think anything of him? When a person becomes as strong as you, do they start to think like that…? He… sacrificed his life for you!"

Zabuza was silent, facing away from the sobbing child.

Ami felt herself tearing up, and just let them flow, mourning silently. She knew she would end up crying sooner of later.

"He couldn't even see his own dream…" the boy said, his voice shaking, tears and mucus running down his face, "Dying as a tool… is just… just… too painful."

"Kid…" Zabuza said, finally speaking.

Naruto looked up at the man, and saw drops falling onto the ground in front off him.

"Don't say any more…" Zabuza begged, tears streaming down his bandaged face. "Haku… not only did he hurt his heart to fight for me, but he hurt his heart for you guys. I know, he was too kind. I'm glad we were able to fight you as our final opponents."

Naruto stared at the man, tears still streaming down his shocked face.

Zabuza bit the bandages covering his mouth and ripped them open.

"Oh yes… kid it was just like you said. Ninja are human, too. They might not be able to become a tool without emotions." He smiled sadly. "I lost..." The smile faded. "Kid, give me your kunai."

Naruto stared at him a moment in shock, then pulled out the weapon and tossed it to the man. "Un."

Zabuza caught it in his teeth, then took on a demonic expression as he raced towards Gatou, who ran, terrified, back into the gang behind him, yelling for them to kill him. Zabuza raced into the horde, his unusable arms flailing behind him, slashing his way through the crowd with nothing but Naruto's kunai in his mouth, killing rogue ninja left, right and center, slicing their sides, stomachs and chests. He staggered slightly when a harpoon was stuck in his back, but never took his eyes off of Gatou, who was doing his best to run on his short, butty legs. Once the businessman reached the edge of the bridge, however, there was nowhere left to go.

Zabuza shot from the crowd, and right before the Missing-Nin reached him, the stunted tradesperson saw Zabuza for what he really was at that moment, with two weapons stuck in his back, covered in blood from head to toe, a knife in his mouth, heading straight for him, drenched with the menacing impulse to kill.

'_A demon!_'

Gatou gave a guttural cry as the kunai was plunged into his chest and he vomited blood.

Zabuza grinned before several spears and swords were stuck into his back and he staggered as he released the kunai stuck in the financier's breast.

"If you want to join your friend that badly, go by yourself!" the businessman wheezed.

"Unfortunately, I don't intend to go to the same place as Haku." the man replied darkly, walking towards Gatou, his arms swinging back and forth.

"What did you say? Don't act so tough!"

"Bastard, you're going to hell with me." the Missing-Nin said, a look of sadistic pleasure on his crazed, bloodied face as he moved towards Gatou, who was becoming more and more terrified by the second. "It's no big deal, though. The Demon of Kirigakure can become a real demon if he goes to hell! Look forward to it! You'll see if I really am a cute devil in hell!"

He ripped the kunai from the bleeding man's chest, then slashed his stomach twice with it, pushing him further and further to the edge of the bridge with each slice. The merchant clutched his breast and stomach as his glasses fell from his head, and Zabuza slid on them as he cut the man's back and side open, then threw him off the bridge and into the water below with a final stab to the heart.

A shocked silence followed.

Zabuza turned an eye towards the other rogue ninja, who cowered in fear and stepped back, making a path for him to pass through.

The Missing-Nin dropped the kunai from his mouth, and stumbled, gasping, towards the Konohagakure ninja and his passed on subordinate.

"Haku…" he wheezed, his vision blurring before he dropped to his hands and knees, panting. He looked up at the boy's body, wearing a bereft expression. "It's time to say goodbye, Haku… Thank you for everything. I'm sorry…"

He collapsed to the ground, and the ninja Gatou hired stared at the fallen man.

Naruto and Ami averted their eyes.

"Don't look away." Kakashi said. "It's the end of a man who lived desperately."

"…Un." The two Genin beside him grunted in unison, turning their faces back to look at the man lying face-down on the ground.

Ami flicked her head round at the sound of a voice, so quickly that her neck cracked at the motion.

* * *

'Did I die…?'

"Sasuke-kun…"

'Sakura…?' he thought, "Sakura, you're heavy."

The sobbing pink-haired girl jerked her head up in shock.

"Sasuke… kun…?"

The tired, battered boy blinked slowly.

Tazuna's mouth fell open in amazement.

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura bawled, hugging the boy with relief.

"Sakura, that hurts." he grunted.

Tazuna wiped his eyes, smiling at the pair on the ground.

The boy sat up, then clutched himself in pain.

"No! Don't move!"

"Where's Naruto…? And Nami...? And what happened to that masked guy…?"

"Naruto is safe. So is Ami. And that masked boy… died."

Sasuke's head snapped up. "He died? Did Naruto kill him?"

"No." Sakura said, shaking her head as she looked sadly towards Haku. "I don't know the details, but it seems he protected Zabuza, and…"

Sasuke turned his head to look at the boy, frowning.

"I believed in you, Sasuke-kun!" the pink-haired girl cried happily, "You must have dodged the attacks to avoid serious damage!"

'He must have done it on purpose from the beginning…' Sasuke thought.

* * *

Ami couldn't believe her eyes.

"Sasuke…" she mumbled.

Naruto flinched at the sound of the name.

"I'm sorry." he said, feeling himself wanting to cry again, "I couldn't-"

The girl tapped him lightly on the shoulder, not looking at him, fixated on something behind him as she pointed at it with a shaking finger.

"No… Sasuke."

Naruto looked in the direction she was pointing.

Sakura stood up and waved at them, calling out to the pair. "Naruto! Ami!"

Beside her, Sasuke was slowly getting to his feet.

"Sasuke-kun is okay! He's alive!"

"What?" Naruto said, spinning around.

The raven rose a hand in greeting as he stared at the ground.

"Sasuke…" Ami said, feeling herself starting to cry. "I thought you were dead…"

"Disappointed, Nami?" Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow.

'Just like he did with Zabuza.' she thought. 'Haku gave him a death-like appearance, but didn't kill him.' She felt the salty drops sliding down her face. 'Thank you, Haku… Thank you!'

Naruto felt a draft when she ran past him, straight for the boy, who would've moved away had he not been so stiff.

She went to hug him, but upon realising how much pain he would be in if she did that, told him to stay still as she began carefully removing the needles, one by one.

The raven hissed in pain as the senbon slipped from his skin, but felt relief after each one was removed, the sensation of the thin, metal shafts disappearing from his skin.

'Do not push the needle even the tiniest bit.' Ami thought, repeating in her head what her grandmother had taught her: 'Do not move the needle inside the flesh as it will damage veins, capillaries and possibly organs. Slide it out carefully at the angle it went in at…'

Naruto turned to look at Haku, smiling, tears of joy brimming in his eyes. 'I see, so he…'

* * *

Senbon after senbon was passed to Sakura who was beaming at the boy's revival.

"What happened?" the brunette girl asked quietly. "What was that horrible Chakra?"

"Chakra?" the boy repeated, just as confused as her. "What Chakra?"

"Nevermind, I don't even care anymore." she said, smiling as she wiped her eyes. "You're alive, that's good enough for me."

'Good enough for me, too.' Sasuke thought, before wincing at the feel of a needle sliding from his thigh.

"I've done your legs and back." the girl said, "I'm going to start your arms now. Okay?"

"Hn… Ow!"

"Ah, sorry! It's because I'm crying…"

"Well stop then!" Sasuke chastised. "I'm alive, so there's nothing to be sad about."

"I'm crying because I'm happy, stupid!" was the hot-headed retort, "And I couldn't keep my promise and help you, so of course I'm going to be sad and annoyed about that!"

"Ami… just shut up. I'm fine."

The girl blinked in astonishment as she seemed to realise something.

"What?" Sasuke grunted.

"Oh… nothing." she said, wiping her eyes then setting back to work. 'He's never said my name before… can't believe I only just noticed. All I ever got before was 'Nami', 'Nami', 'Nami'… well, that and 'Hn' of course…' 'She glanced at the boy's scratched face curiously as he glared off in another direction at nothing in particular. 'I say I hate him but I guess I don't really…' She shuddered as she remembered the sound of the rogue ninja she attacked's neck snapping. 'I completely lost it when I thought he'd died… I actually killed someone… and almost with _that _as well…'

* * *

Kakashi was watching the scene before him, the sight of the raven boy standing lifting the weight from his shoulders. 'So Sasuke is safe too… I'm glad.' He thought thankfully.

"Oi, oi, oi! You guys are feeling too safe." one of the rogues yelled, banging his staff off the ground.

The Konoha ninja turned to look at them.

"Damn ninja, you killed our source of revenue!"

"Now we have to attack the town and steal all the valuables." the first bandit said, grinning stupidly.

The others behind him roared in agreement.

"This is bad…" Kakashi said.

"Kakashi-sensei, don't you have a technique that can beat them all at once?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"No, I used up too much Chakra."

"LET'S GO!" one of the men yelled, pointing forwards with his spear.

The whole group charged towards the town, then halted when an arrow shot towards them, embedding itself in the ground before them.

The Konoha ninja spun round and were met with the sight of the whole village's citizens, all armed with anything they could find, be it axes, pitchforks, pickaxes, oars, spades, or whatever else, and facing the outlaws hired by Gatou with set faces, clearly ready to fight. Inari stood at the very front, armed with a crossbow and wearing a colander on top of his head.

"Anyone who gets any closer to this island will die facing the force of this island!" shouted a bridge worker with a pick, that the girls and Tazuna recognized as Giichi.

The villagers raised their weapons and roared in agreement.

"Inari!" Naruto yelled happily.

"Heroes are supposed to come late." the young boy chuckled, and judging by the expression on Naruto's face, Ami guessed that this was some sort of private joke between the two.

"Inari… All of you…" Tazuna said, tears of joy brimming in his eyes.

The rogues didn't look anywhere near as confident now as they had a moment ago.

"Alright, I'm going to help too!" Naruto yelled as he made a sign. "Kage-Bunshin no jutsu!" In a bang of smoke, he had multiplied himself by five.

'I guess I can use about the same amount of Chakra as him and use it as a bluff.' Kakashi thought, also making a sign. "Kage-Bunshin no jutsu." In a bang of smoke, about a hundred Kakashi clones stood on the bridge, all with Sharingan showing. "Kakashi version!"

The men hired by Gatou were now running from the scene on the bridge, crying out in fear of the larger mob of people.

"Shall we begin?" the Kakashi clones all asked in unison as the rogue ninja began climbing into the boat they had come on, some falling into the water when they were pushed out of the way of others, either on the bridge or on the rope ladder leading down to the boat.

"Yeah!" Inari cheered, punching the air in triumph, his voice almost drowned out with the roars of victory that exploded behind him.

* * *

Stepping away from the jubilant celebrations, Kakashi made his way over to the near-dead Demon of the Mist.

"Looks like it's over." the man lying on the ground groaned.

"Yeah."

"Kakashi, I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"I… I want to see his face."

The silver-haired sensei lowered his hitae-ate back over his left eye, the gave the man a regardful gaze. "Sure."

After carefully pulling the weapons from Zabuza's body, Kakashi picked him up behind the knees and shoulders, his limp arms dangling below, and carried him towards Haku. White flakes began to fall from the sky.

"It's snow…" Ami said, catching one of the silver pieces in her palm and watching it melt on the tanned skin of her hand.

"In this season?" a man said.

'Haku… are you crying?' Zabuza wondered.

Kakashi reached the boy and gently set the dying man down beside him.

"Thanks, Kakashi."

The silver-haired man stepped back beside Naruto as Zabuza turned his head towards Haku.

"We've been together all this time… So I'll die next to you…" he said, wheezing his words weakly. "If possible…" he gasped, moving a ripped arm painfully to cup the boy's face. "I want to go to the same place you're going to…"

The cloud parted slightly, allowing several shafts of light to filter down from the sky, shining down on the two Mist village ninja.

A single snowflake landed on Haku's eyelid and melted, looking just like a tear.

Naruto sniffled and the others looked over at him.

"He… he was born in a village where a lot of snow fell." the boy sniveled.

"Is that a fact?" Kakashi said quietly. "He was just as pure a white."

The sunlight spread further as the gaps in the heavens widened.

"You can go there, Zabuza." Kakashi said quietly. "Together."

* * *

"I was wondering, Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura said, as she placed a ring of flowers around the wooden cross of the grave they had made for Haku, the sash from his clothing also tied around it.

Beside it was Zabuza's grave, also with a cross and ring of flowers, but his huge sword stuck in the ground behind it instead.

The sun was setting over the hill, painting the sky with orange, pink and yellow hues.

"Hmm?"

"Does a ninja really have to be the way they said a ninja should be?"

"Ninja are not supposed to seek their reason to exist." the masked man replied. "It's important that they exist as a tool. That goes for Konoha, too."

"Does becoming a real ninja really mean that?" Naruto asked, clearly unimpressed. "I… kind of… don't like that."

"Do you think so, too?" Sasuke asked the sensei.

"Well, no." the man replied truthfully, "That's why ninja unconsciously suffer from that idea. Like Zabuza and that boy."

'I'm awful at that.' Ami thought frowning at the memory of her actions on the bridge. 'Unless I toughen up, I'll definitely die.'

"Alright!" Naruto yelled suddenly.

The others looked at him.

"I'm going to follow my own 'way of the ninja'! I'm going to run straight down the path where I'm not going to regret anything!"

The Konno couldn't help but grin at her loud friend. 'He's such a weird guy.'

Kakashi smiled at the boy. 'How typical of Naruto.'

* * *

"We've completed the bridge thanks to you, but we're going to miss you." Tazuna said glumly.

"Take care." Tsunami said.

"Thank you for everything." Kakashi said.

"Now, now, Tazuna-ojiichan!" Naruto grinned. "We'll visit you again some day!"

"You promise?" Inari asked, his voice and body shaking slightly as he tried not to cry. Tazuna placed a comforting hand on his head.

"Inari… You're going to get lonely, aren't you?" Naruto asked, his lower lip quivering as he spoke. "It's okay to cry, you know. Cry…"

"I'm not going to cry! But you can cry too, Naruto-niichan!"

"Is that so…?" Naruto choked, snot beginning to dribble from his nose as his face twisted in an effort to hide his tears, Inari just as bad.

The two tried to stare each other down for several seconds, until Naruto broke eye contact, spinning around to turn away from the villagers and Inari.

"See ya!" he wailed, bursting into tears, nose running down his face as soon as he was facing away, the younger boy doing exactly the same.

"You stubborn guy…" Sakura thought.

* * *

"That boy changed Inari's heart, and Inari changed the hearts of the villagers." Tazuna said to the others as they watched the ninja leave. "That boy created a bridge, known as courage, which led to hope."

"Bridge, huh? Oh yeah… we still have to name this bridge too." a man said.

"I forgot, but I have the perfect name for this bridge." Tazuna said.

"Oh, what is it?"

"How about, the Great Naruto bridge?"

Tsunami laughed. "That's a good name."

"What? Are you really sure about that name?" another man asked.

Tazuna laughed. "I called it that because I hope it will never crumble. And one day, I hope the bridge will be famous and known worldwide."

Inari wiped his eyes and gazed after the group of ninja, amongst them the loud, orange-clad one, yelling his mouth off.

His hero.

* * *

"All right! Once I get home, I'm going to have Iruka-sensei treat me to ramen to celebrate the completion of this mission!" Naruto yelled proudly. "Also, also, I'm going to have Konohamaru listen to my tale of bravery!"

Sakura spoke up. "Then I'll… Hey, Sasuke-kun, do you want to go on a date once we return to the village?"

"No, I decline." the boy replied in a blunt, monotonous voice.

"No way…" Sakura whined, dropping behind.

"Hey, hey, I will!" Naruto said eagerly.

"Shut up! Be quiet, Naruto!" the pink-haired girl yelled, punching the boy.

"What are you going to do when we get back, Ami?" Kakashi asked pleasantly, single eye crinkling as he smiled underneath his mask.

She found herself instantly thinking; 'be nicer to Sasuke' but there was no way she would say that aloud, so she smiled. "Dunno. Relax a bit, I guess."

Ami looked round as she felt a hand on her head, but upon seeing Sakura, who was busy yelling at Naruto and pinching his cheeks, and considering Sasuke and Kakashi were walking beside her, both with their hands shoved in their pockets, deemed it her imagination.


	11. Wolves, Grandma and Your Hair

**Notes in this chapter will be at the bottom, so as not to cause spoilers.**

**Enjoy! :D And if you spot any mistakes, no matter how small, please tell me!**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Wolves, Grandma and Your Hair

* * *

The sun shone brightly down on the young leaf-nin as they entered Konohagakure, a welcome change from the misty, cloudy weather of the Land of the Waves. The sound of people filled their ears, and the smiled at the sight of familiar faces, walking around the village, going about their daily business. Several fangirls could already be seen poking their heads around corners, craning their necks to get a better look at the jaded Uchiha, giggling and whispering excitedly, preparing to stalk him all the way home and then some.

'I swear they smell his blood…' Ami thought, pitying the Uchiha.

The brunette, who still had a few bruises on her face, stepped closer to Sasuke, also sporting a good few injuries, along with a bandage around his neck from where Haku's needles had entered the unprotected area. She smiled at the boy, who grunted in understanding and thanks that she was willing to act as repellent.

"It's so good to be home!" Sakura said happily, waving at the two gatekeepers, Kotetsu and Izumo, who sat, bored at their post, as they waved back lazily.

They froze when a woman with long black hair and dark eyes, wearing the typical Chuunin uniform, landed in front of them, hitai-ate tied around her forehead.

"Which of you are Konno Ami?" she asked, sounding slightly uneasy.

Said girl raised her hand, feeling apprehensive as she noted the woman's tone. "That's me."

The Chuunin stepped towards her and whispered something in her ear.

The others watched nervously as Ami's expression changed from one of curiosity and confusion to shock and horror. Her face was suddenly very pale.

"I'm sorry." the woman said as she stepped back. "You have my condolences."

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked tensely.

Ami staggered slightly, then ignored Sakura completely as she croaked to the woman;

"_When…?_"

"Sometime last night. It seemed to have happened whilst she was sleeping."

"…_Where's Aiko?_"

"I'll take you to her."

"…T-thank you…" Ami whispered, tears now streaking silently down her ashen face as she slowly took the woman's hand, squeezing it for comfort.

The pair walked away, and Naruto went to follow, but Kakashi grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't." he said, his voice grave, "She went alone for a reason."

* * *

"Grandma… died?" Ami mumbled numbly, in utter disbelief as they walked along the sunny street of Konoha towards the morgue.

"I'm afraid so." the dark-haired woman said gently. "It seems to have been of old age. Your sister was the one who found her. Apparently, she went up to check on her because she hadn't gotten up, and found her dead in bed. She's fairly traumatized. We did our best to comfort her, but right now, you're the one she needs."

She stopped suddenly and Ami looked round at her, dazed and confused.

"We're here." the woman explained.

Ami turned her back around and saw a dull, gray structure looming over her as she looked up at it.

Releasing the woman's hand, she stumbled inside the building, the Chuunin following soundlessly. The room was large with peach walls, a pine desk at one side and two orange couches. Pictures of the sunset and ocean hung on the walls, and a small palm tree sat in the corner.

A small figure sat on the couch, hugging their knees. Ami realised it to be her sister.

"She hasn't slept all night. I'll leave you two alone." the black-haired woman said quietly, closing the door.

Ami wiped her eyes on her arm, then walked over to her younger sibling and sat down beside her.

"Aiko?"

The girl didn't look up at her.

"Aiko, please look at me."

She finally raised her head. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen.

"It'll be okay…" Ami said, her voice shaking as she looked at her sister.

Aiko had already cried as much as she could manage for now, but Ami felt her heart sting again as she listened to her younger sister's lifeless voice.

"_Sis… don't be sad…_"

* * *

Aiko sobbed quietly beside her sister, as they both stood before a white gravestone, dressed in black garb, the autumn leaves falling around them in the chilly breeze, sky covered in clouds. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi had been there earlier, but then left the girls to mourn in private.

That had been an hour ago.

It was starting to drizzle.

Ami gently placed an arm around her sister and hugged her to her side as the younger girl clung to the dark fabric of her dress, weeping into it. She stared blankly at the snowy headstone, eyes seeing but brain unable to process the image before her.

It made sense. She had been watching Grandma get more and more tired as the years passed, lately taking to sleeping during the day.

It had only been a matter of time.

"You're still both here, then?"

She looked round to see Sasuke, holding an open umbrella out to her and Aiko, using a second himself.

"It's starting to rain. Take this."

"Thank you." Ami mumbled numbly, taking the handle from the boy, before turning back to gaze at the chalky stone.

"Don't make that face." the raven said placidly after a while, jerking the brunette out of her jumbled, confused thoughts. "It'll get easier. I know from experience. You'll manage."

Ami dimly recalled that Sasuke had been orphaned far more brutally than she had. She gave the boy a small 'thanks', and Aiko sniveled, nodding slightly.

Sasuke stood there a moment, lingering slightly, then left.

* * *

Team seven had been informed that they wouldn't be taking any missions for about two weeks in respect for Ami's grandmother's passing, and so that she and her sister could get a hold on how to take care of things by themselves. Handling bills, cleaning the inn, washing all the clothes and dishes, cleaning the baths, tending the herbs… with the three of them it had been so much easier, and there was still the fixing up of the inn. They didn't know when that would be happening now.

Right now, just simple things like cooking a meal were causing the girls trouble.

Ami had decided to ask Sakura for help, but unfortunately, the pink-haired girl's skills were nothing wonderful, either.

* * *

Ami sampled a small bit of the chicken soup she had tried to make.

"How is it?" Sakura asked, smiling hopefully, "Does it taste like chicken and vegetable?"

"Nope." the brunette sighed as she dropped the spoon she had used into the sink, "It tastes like chicken and a shovelful of sawdust."

"I see… maybe you put the vegetables in for too long…?"

"Maybe I burned the water."

They both exhaled heavily as Ami ambled into and down the hall, then entering the bathroom to pour the unsuccessful concoction down the toilet and flush it away.

* * *

Naruto had dropped by earlier, helping out with the housework using Shadow clones, and had even helped the girls to repair a section of rotten floor. Not before he had fallen through it of course, when Ami, in her absent-minded state, had accidentally brought them both along an unsafe corridor, not realising until she heard the blond screeching in terror as he clung to a crumbly, wooden beam, dangling easily twenty feet above the ground, a steep hillside covered in rocks and conifer trees, Sakura shrieking in shock and horror down at him.

* * *

Sasuke had been fairly quiet, or rather, more so than usual, now calling Ami by actual name, in the stead of his usual insult-come-nickname.

Right now, he was sitting cross-legged on a small cushion in the kitchen at the low table in the middle of the room, frowning at the back of the brunette in front of him.

She was standing at the counter, slicing a loaf of bread to make him a sandwich, but not having one herself as she didn't feel hungry.

It wasn't that though, he knew. She was still in a daze over her grandmother's death, and probably wouldn't notice if you dropped a brick on her foot, never mind if she felt hungry.

The look in her face was awful. Her hair was down as usual, but it was greasy and messy, sticking out in every direction. Her eyes looked bloodshot, dull, empty and devoid of hope. As she wasn't going to have any missions, she was wearing a green, long-sleeved T-shirt with a stain down the front and blue three-quarter-lengths. She was unnerving to be around, misery drenching the air around her, and her voice had dropped to a harsh-sounding mumble, more than likely due to all the crying she had been doing for the past three days.

The plate was placed quietly with a soft clink of the porcelain touching the wooden table surface in front of Sasuke, a crooked tonkatsu sandwich sitting on top.

"Sorry." she mumbled, her scratchy voice barely audible, even in the stillness of the house, "I'm awful at cutting bread. It always comes out lopsided."

Normally, when Ami did something like this, Sasuke would have made a snide comment of some sort, but he knew this was not the time or place. He may have been insensitive, but he wasn't cruel. She had just lost her grandmother, killed someone for the first time at a very young age, and at the moment, she felt so low and useless that she would probably burst into tears if a squirrel looked at her funny, nevermind got reprimanded by him.

"It's fine." he said quietly, picking up the sandwich and beginning to eat, watching the girl in silence as she studied the knots in the table's wood, pathetic expression still in place.

"Please, for god's sake, stop looking like that." Sasuke growled, voicing his thoughts before he could stop himself, instantly regretting it.

Ami raised her head to face him, and he was already hating himself. She looked like she was about to start crying again.

"Listen to me." he said quickly, trying to stop the waterworks before they came, "You got a huge shock after taking on a hard mission, and me… well I obviously added to your stress there, and… you… killed someone and feel guilty for that."

"You heard…" Ami said, her mouth dropping and eyebrows raising slightly in surprise, although her voice was fairly monotone. She looked at him a moment, then blinked away the tears and shrugged slightly in acceptance. "Oh well… I can't erase your memory. If you know, you know… No reason for me to be annoyed or upset. It's better you know… no secrets… I don't really care to be honest. He was just scum, after all. How many had he killed?" she said, rambling in a tired voice, then turned her head to stare out the window, a disconcerted expression on her face.

Sasuke continued where he had left off. "Look, you have to stop beating yourself up. You're taking on a lot, carrying everything on your back, so stop feeling bad for how you're walking. It's bad for you, and for your sister."

Ami's eyes lit up at that. "Aiko…" she whispered, then her face twisted into a frustrated scowl of anger and misery at herself. "…it must have been so hard for her. She never even knew Mom and Dad. I had the chance. In fact, Grandma was probably a mother to her, but to me, she was 'Grandma'. For five years, I had the perfect family. Now Aiko's lost the closest thing she's ever had to a mother, and been stuck with a _useless_ older sister who can't even cook a decent meal! _All I can do is fuck up everything and hurt people!_" Tears and snot began to dribble down her face and although she did her best to wipe them away, it barely helped. "_What sort of guardian am I?_"

'_Idiot, don't cry! I'm actually bothering to try and help!_' Sasuke thought furiously, but tried to calm her down. "I… have a pretty good idea of how you feel, but remember, you have someone. I don't know if that's comforting or just adds to the pressure, but Aiko is your sister and wants to help you… and to her, the sun probably shines out your ass, so remember that. You aren't alone… you have Aiko, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and I, so stop getting so worried."

Ami stared at the raven. "Why are you being so nice…? And talking so much…?"

Sasuke folded his arms and said irritably; "Because you need this right now. Don't expect it often."

Ami stared at him a moment, then smiled slightly. It was small, but there nonetheless.

"You are nice after all… thanks, Sasuke."

"Hn."

She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, then Sasuke picked up his moon-shaped bread again, sighing slightly in the relief that he had managed to soothe the girl.

* * *

He left after eating and as she waved goodbye to him, watching his head disappear as he descended the steps, Ami felt a tug on the sleeve of her T-shirt.

"Aiko?"

The tired-looking girl was looking at the floor. Her long, dark hair was hanging down, rather than being up in the usual pair of pigtails.

She mumbled something.

"What did you say?" Ami asked gently. "I couldn't hear you."

"You hate me…" she whispered.

Ami's eyes widened, dropping her knees to the floor to look her sister in the face.

"_What are you talking about?_"

Aiko was crying. "It's my fault… because I was born, you're in this situation… that's what you think, isn't it...? You hate me…"

The green-eyed girl raised her head, and Ami was shocked to see an expression of utter hatred. She didn't even know if it was for her or herself.

"_Don't you?_" Aiko demanded, sobbing as she jabbed a finger in her horrified sister's face, her voice rising. "Just admit it! I'm the reason your mother is dead! Of _course _you hate me! Who wouldn't hate someone who _killed their own mother!_"

"_I DON'T HATE YOU!_"

"_LIAR!_"

"_I AM NOT!_"

Aiko was staring at her in shock, holding her cheek in horror.

It wasn't until Ami felt the sting on her palm that she realised what had happened.

She had slapped her.

They both began to cry.

"I'm sorry…" the elder sobbed, hugging Aiko. "I had no idea you were thinking that… I don't hate you. How could I? You're my sister. I love you."

Aiko was now right out bawling, sobbing muffled apologies into the thick material of the kimono on Ami's back, clutching the white cloth.

The elder sister stroked her wailing sibling's hair. "After Mom died, you were still alive. I could have lost you both. I'm just grateful for what I have, and there's no way I could ever hate you. I might as well hate Dad for getting Mom pregnant with you in the first place. There's no way. Understand?"

The girl sniffled and gripped tighter.

"I'm sorry." Ami whispered, "It's because I've been so far off that you got an idea like that in your head… I love you, Aiko. And I'll stop this right now. I'm tired of brooding. I'm sorry I made you feel this way."

* * *

"Ami?"

Said girl was standing in front of the Uchiha in the middle of the market, taking his afternoon walk. She was panting furiously, her eyes blazing with a kind of determination he was surprised to see in the bereft child.

"How did you find me?" the raven asked, slightly creeped out.

"I threatened a few fangirls and eventually got my answer."

Oh. That would make sense. And if she was threatening people- no, on second thoughts, fangirls don't count as people- animals, then she was obviously feeling better.

"What is it?" he asked, slightly relieved that she didn't stalk him.

"Please teach me how to cook, because I'm so useless at it right now, I'd starve in a supermarket."

The Uchiha was confused. What was she asking him for? "…Why not ask Naruto?"

"Naruto only ever eats ramen."

"Sakura?"

"Is just as bad as me."

"Kakashi?"

She sighed in irritation, getting impatient. "I don't know where he is. Please, Sasuke, while I'm motivated! You're the only one I can ask! Look-I took a shower and changed my shirt and all!" She pulled at her hair and the clean, white T-shirt she was now wearing as if to emphasize her point. "We have food, I just don't know how to cook it."

The raven looked at her a moment, wondering where her sudden resolve had come from, then shrugged, stepping past her towards Keijousai. "Alright. My dinner's already made from yesterday, anyway."

* * *

Ami spent the rest of the afternoon taking down recipes and instructions of everything Sasuke taught her to make, and making an agreement for him to come back the next day for her to learn more.

* * *

The next day, after this small breakthrough, Ami seemed to have gained a new kind of resolve and energy out of nowhere. It was as though all of her vigor had been building up throughout the moping she had been doing the past few days, and was all coming out now in a huge explosion of stamina. Especially as she had, after working out how they would split up the money they got from support and Ami received from missions earned to pay for everything, decided out of the blue that the second week of their time off was the week that she was going to sort out the entire inn, from top to bottom, calling over her astonished teammates to help.

The building was truly a mess, and the more they did, the more they found needed to be done. It was infested with spiders that they were continuously killing, and several rooms couldn't even be touched for fear that they would fall in, although using Naruto's Shadow clones made things a lot easier, with there being no fear of death from any collapsing lodgings.

During the renovations, Sakura made a suggestion to Ami that surprised the girl, but was no less a good idea.

* * *

"Ami?" Sakura asked, swatting her god knows how many hundredth spider that day.

"Hmm?" the brunette replied, mouth full of nails as she fixed a section of broken flooring.

"Well… you know… even if the inn opens again, I don't think you'll get much business. Others have opened since this place closed."

Ami swore in her head, as she couldn't very well speak with a mouth full of iron and slowly took the nails from her mouth, frowning.

She hadn't thought about that.

"Maybe… it would be better as something else?" Sakura continued.

"Any suggestions?" the brunette asked, stumped at just what she could possibly do with a ryokan.

"Umm… how about a leased apartment complex for women?"

Ami raised an eyebrow in thought. "So… basically, a girl's dorm?"

The pink-haired girl nodded.

"… That's a good idea." Ami mumbled thoughtfully, before slamming a hand against the wall, causing Sakura to jump.

The rosette was worried a moment that she had upset Ami, then stared in curiosity as she watched the other girl flick something off her hand.

"We have to kill all the spiders first though."

She sighed with relief, then nodded in agreement.

"And I hope to god I don't get any Sasuke fangirls looking to live here."

Sakura rose a brow.

"Don't worry, I like you. I won't throw you in with the other nuts." the brunette asserted, grinning.

Sakura rolled her eyes with a smile, happy to have her friend back.

* * *

The Genin and Aiko smiled in satisfaction at their work.

Naruto's Shadow Clones had worked wonders. The floors and walkways had been repaired, and the inn was finally clean, although they would probably still be killing spiders for god knows how long.

Ami had candidly stated; "The tenants will have to live with it. There's nothing I can do about the things, so I'll just give them all free fly-swatters."

"I can't thank you guys enough." the brunette said, grinning widely at her teammates, who were worn out from the week's work.

Naruto and Sakura beamed back whilst Sasuke simply grunted.

"Bye!" Aiko cried, hugging Naruto and Sakura as they went to leave, then hesitating a moment as she looked at Sasuke, before happily exclaiming; "Yeah, you're nice!" and throwing her arms around the boy. Sasuke stiffened at the contact, then folded his arms in annoyance as he glowered at nothing in particular, the eight year old's arms still wrapped around his waist.

* * *

Naruto was currently moaning as he struggled to carry four heavy bags of shopping, two in each hand, Sasuke beside him with the same size load and perfectly comfortable, although Naruto was the one with all the tins, courtesy of Sakura.

They were doing the shopping for a rich woman in the village who was too lazy to do it herself. Her usual servants were sick, so they were filling in.

Ami shuddered as she remembered the terrifying matriarch; horrible make-up and a terrifying attitude. She had pointed her fingers and bellowed at all the Genin as she told them her shopping list, her tiny, balding, bespectacled man of a husband cowering behind her, then following like a puppy with its tail between its legs as she exited the room, long, purple cloak swishing in her wake like an evil witch.

Giving the woman the finger behind her back had made her feel slightly better.

The two girls were walking with brown paper bags full of food in their arms when Ami noticed Sakura looking at her strangely.

"What?" she asked.

"You've grown your hair…" the pink-haired girl mumbled.

"You noticed that?" Ami said, surprised at the girl's attention. "It's only a couple of inches longer than it was before."

"How long have you been growing it for?"

"I guess… about three months or so. Probably a little longer."

"Wow. That's kind of fast."

"My hair has always grown fast."

"Are you going to keep growing it?"

"Yeah." the brunette said, getting a funny little smile on her face.

"What're you smiling at?" Sakura asked, smiling, then gasping quietly as she remembered something. '_Sasuke-kun likes long hair!_' She glanced at Ami again, who still had the strange little smirk on her face. '_Is she going to try and steal away Sasuke-kun! _…No. No way. She doesn't like Sasuke-kun like I do… they do seem to be getting along better… although, while I hate to admit it, Sasuke-kun does seem just a _teensy_ bit happier with her than with me… but maybe that's just because… _he doesn't see her as a girl! That's _it! Anyway, my hair is _way_ longer! But hers is growing so fast… OH MY GOD, AMI, DON'T YOU DARE STEAL AWAY SASUKE-KUN,_ SHANNARO!_'

Ami chuckled, snapping Sakura out of her insane inner thoughts. "Grandma always said I should grow my hair long. I just kind of left it for a while, because I wasn't sure whether I wanted to cut it or not, but I think I'll grow it now. It's kind of like a last-respects kind of thing to her. She said; 'Now, Ami, you listen to me. Grow your hair long and look pretty while you're young, because when you get to my age, all you can do is look _clean_.'"

"I see." the pink-haired girl said softly, her interior calming slightly, "That's a nice way of remembering her."

"Yeah… she wouldn't want me to be sad."

They both smiled.

* * *

**Sorry it's so choppy. D: Practice should improve this though, right? Friend is my first proper fanfic, after all. Please tell me!**

**Well, there's the whole "hand on shoulder" thing explained. (If you remember that from the previous chapter. ^^;)**

**I haven't used inner Sakura in a while, but I'll try to in future. :P**

**I'm sorry, Sasuke probably seems really OOC here! DX I was trying to make him sympathetic because he should understand what it's like most, but I completely effed it! Sorry! DX**

**Also, no one very close to me has ever died (mainly because my family isn't very tightly-knit so I never really got close to my grandparents (bar my grandmother on my mother's side, who is a conspiracy-filled nut, but brilliant fun and thankfully fairly young and perfectly healthy and ALIVE)), so if the whole reaction and mourning thing seems as though it was written by someone with no idea what a death in the family is like, especially such a hard-hitting death, well, that's because it was. ^^; Sorry. I made Aiko and Ami absolute crybabies. DX**

**And yes, Aiko has angst. Dunno if that's okay or not. What do you guys think? :O**

**Help me out, I'm a virgin at this. ^^;**


	12. Festivals, Water and Baby

**Yay, chapter twelve is up. I'm sorry that it took so long. I edited this chapter soooo much and so many times. :D **

**More author notes at the end. :D**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Festivals, Water and Baby

* * *

It was almost January, and so, the weather was growing accordingly chillier, biting winds and sleety showers blowing through the air of the leaf village, dousing the land in cold and wet.

A small, stringy, old, but surprisingly loud and nasty man had been their client for their mission that day; weeding his garden. The man had been horrible, continuously bullying Naruto and Ami, calling them 'low-life commoners' because of their tanned skin, but they had been unable to say a single thing simply because of him being their client. Ami had felt quite put out at this, but Naruto simply shrugged and said that he had been called worse. As per usual, the Genin's sensei had been terribly late, his excruciatingly poor excuse of the day being that he was unable to find his glasses.

And so, after the rather irritating mission from the morning, Naruto and Ami were eating at Naruto's favourite restaurant, Ichiraku Ramen, to try and unwind.

* * *

"Are you two going to the festival?" Ayame asked.

"Oh, yeah! It's almost New Year, right? Sounds fun!" Ami said happily, before noticing that Naruto had tensed beside her. "Naruto? Is something the matter?"

The boy flinched at her words, unsure of what to say.

"You alright?"

"I… I've never gone before." the blond stammered.

His friend shrugged, smiling. "So? You have something to wear? We'll all go together. You, me, Aiko, Sakura and Sasuke."

"I… have nothing to wear, though."

The brunette gave him a surprised stare. "Really? No festival attire at all?"

The boy shook his head.

"Well, that's hardly much fun." Ami mumbled, thinking to herself a moment. "Honestly, I'm completely broke after all the renovations, and while there are five girls who've moved in since October, I still have to pay back all the expenses for the repairs. But I'll talk to Sakura and Sasuke. Between the three of us we'll get you something." She grinned. "Don't worry, you'll enjoy this. Festivals are great!"

Naruto stared at her. He couldn't believe it. His face broke into a grin.

"Naruto?" Ami asked, suddenly sounding worried, "Why are you crying?"

"I'm what?" Naruto rubbed his eyes on the back of his hand and looked at the tiny droplets.

"Are you alright?"

The blond wiped his eyes again, mentally scolding himself. "I'm fine." he said.

What Ami didn't know was that Naruto had lied when he said he had never been to the festival before. He was just always chased away. Being able to go to such an event with friends was something he had never thought would happen.

He couldn't wait.

* * *

"Sis! It's so much bigger than any of the ones we had back home! This is going to be so much fun!" Aiko giggled, holding onto her sister's sleeve as they walked beside Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto.

Sakura was wearing a crimson kimono with very pale pink, almost white, cherry blossoms embellishing the fabric. Her hair was up in a ponytail, the long pink strands held in place with two chopsticks, white, red and pink beads hanging from the ends.

Ami was in an azure kimono with a white obi, decorated with frosty white and pale blue butterflies, a cerulean, ornamented comb stuck in the back of her half-ponytail.

Aiko sported a jade kimono with a pale yellow sash, patterned with maple leaves of various shades of green and saffron, her hair up in two buns tied with matching green ribbons.

Sasuke's kimono was navy blue in colour, the red and white Uchiha crest blazing on the back.

Naruto was up ahead, wearing a tawny, plain-patterned kimono.

Team seven's Genin and Aiko wandered around the festival, admiring everything to be done.

Orange paper lanterns hung above the heads of the passers-by, games and stalls selling food, sweets and toys filled the streets. Laughing people occupied the avenue, playing, eating and laughing. Some men were already drunk, singing and hanging off each other as they staggered up the path. Naruto and Aiko went to the goldfish-scooping game, although they failed to catch any, and Ami bought a brightly coloured mask that looked like a cat, perching it on the side of her head.

* * *

A cart with pink fluff caught Sakura's eye and she grinned mischievously.

'I'll buy everyone candy floss!' she thought craftily. 'Then Sasuke-kun will think I'm a really generous person, and he'll _fall in love_ with me, and then we'll start _dating_, and then he'll ask me to _marry him_-'

A curious voice interrupted her sloping thoughts.

"Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl turned her head to face her brunette teammate, and couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed that her fantasy had been interrupted, _especially_ by someone she saw as a _slight _threat, but a threat nonetheless, to her objective of winning the young Uchiha's heart. The lengthening hair was a real worry to the pink-haired girl.

Ami knitted her brow. "Whoa, okay, you're glaring at me for no particular reason."

She made a cross with her fingers and held them up in front of herself, as though the pair of digits would protect her from the pink-haired girl's wrath, in the same way that one might raise a talisman before a demon.

"_What is it?_" Sakura growled.

Okay, she wasn't slightly annoyed, she was downright pissed.

Ami dropped the sign and huffed slightly, folding her arms. "Relax. I just wanted to ask if you wanted candy floss or not. I'm buying some for the guys and myself and I wanted to know if you wanted some as well."

Sakura's eyes widened at the sight behind the girl of Aiko and Naruto grinning happily at them both, bouncing up and down in excitement next to the candy floss stand, Sasuke beside the pair with his arms crossed, looking bored (and sexy as ever, in her opinion) as he stared off in another direction.

She shoved past Ami, almost knocking her off-balance, and raced towards the stand for the sweet of pure sugar, making the boys and young girl jump slightly as she slammed a hand down in front of the man, exclaiming that she would be the one to pay, her eyes blazing, just daring the man to challenge her.

The retailer nodded slowly, then tentatively held his hand out to the twelve year-old to accept her money, as though afraid she might bite it.

Sakura paid for five pieces of the pink fluff, and now smiling sweetly, a complete mood swing from a moment previously, as she handed the rosy clumps to the others, Aiko and Naruto squealing in excitement and dancing upon receiving, Ami thanking her quietly as she pondered the girl's sudden offer, utterly confused.

The pinkette then turned towards the raven, fantasy replaying in her head.

"I hate sweet things."

Sakura's chimera shattered.

"Really?" Ami asked, slightly surprised, then shrugged in acceptance. "Yoink." she said, pulling the now spare from Sakura's hand and handing it to Naruto, who all but roared with excitement at the amount of sugar he had just received.

Aiko patted Sakura on the thigh, trying to comfort the disappointed girl as she hung her head.

* * *

Ami picked a piece off with her fingers and placed it in her mouth, enjoying the sweetness that spread across her tongue as the pink sugar dissolved instantaneously. She cringed slightly at the sight of how her blond-haired friend ate the sweet potato and chestnut dish he had bought over beside the food stand with Sakura. "Naruto, close your mouth when you chew." she called over to him, "You look like a washing machine."

The sunny-haired boy just laughed.

"I wouldn't bother with him, Nami." Sasuke said dully as he ate his own food.

Ami smiled slightly at the boy. She couldn't help it.

Since October, Sasuke had been back to calling her Nami again. Not that she disliked it. It gave her a sense of normality after the traumas of both his apparent death in the Mist and the passing of her grandmother, and to be honest, she really didn't mind the address anymore.

"_Hey, Sasuke-kun!_" a high, whiny, irritating voice squealed, causing the raven to cringe.

Ami looked over Sasuke's shoulder and recognized the face of a red-haired fangirl she had seen at the academy, but had never bothered to remember her name.

"Could you go away?" the fangirl asked in a syrupy voice, but directing a glaring gaze towards the brunette in question.

'A brave one.' Ami thought, smirking, before speaking in a calm, clear voice. "Yeah, but I won't, because I'm not a horrible person who would leave this poor boy-" She nodded towards Sasuke, who looked completely uninterested. "-alone with someone as irritating as you."

The redhead scowled. "What the hell is your _problem_?" she gritted out, baring her teeth at the girl.

"Ugh, manky." Ami said, pulling a disgusted face. "When'd you last brush your teeth? They're the colour of Naruto's hair."

The girl instantly covered her teeth with her lips, suddenly looking angry, but much, much more worried.

'Ha.' Ami thought smugly, watching in amusement as the girl scurried away quickly, no doubt to find a mirror and spend the next hour inspecting her mouth.

In actuality, the girl's teeth were fine, Ami just wanted to get rid of her.

"You're acting like a possessive girlfriend!" Aiko piped up, smiling as she swallowed a mouthful of chocolate-covered banana. "Are you gonna start hitting them across the face and saying things like; 'He's _my_ man, _bitch!_'?"

Ami was silent a moment, wondering where Aiko had learned that phrase, before shrugging the thought away with the idea that she couldn't control what her sister picked up. "Not sure about that dialogue." she said, smirking slightly. "I would love to hit one of them someday, though."

Sasuke grunted in agreement and her smirk widened into a grin.

* * *

Grinning, Aiko hugged Naruto's head as the beaming blond sat her up on his shoulders for the firework show, looking up at the fireworks exploding into bursts of colour above them, sparks and stars raining down through the night sky and vanishing into the darkness with loud bangs. The sparkling lights danced on the village below, the bright hues lighting up the enthralled faces of the people below, noises of awe and wonder simultaneously coming at each explosion in the show.

Disappointed sighs sounded from the crowd when the display eventually ended, but was quickly replaced with a thunderous round of applause.

People began moving away from the festival in crowds, heading back home, the Genin of Team Seven and Aiko among them.

"Ahh… I ate so much!" Naruto said happily, rubbing his full stomach contentedly.

"Snow!" Aiko squealed as silvery flakes began to flutter down from the clouding skies, blown by the whims of the wind.

"You're right, Aiko." Sakura said gently, catching a flake in her hand and watching it melt as the pigtailed girl opened her mouth and tilted her head back to try and catch some of the snow in the orifice.

"No good, Aiko!" Naruto laughed. "The snow'll fall anywhere else just to spite you!"

"It's the first of the season." Sasuke commented quietly, looking up at the sky, trying to define between the white of the falling slivers and the clouds dropping them.

* * *

A blanket of white soon covered the ground and the children began to shiver as they made their ways home.

Naruto got home first, his house being the closest, and next to leave was Sakura, her house being in the opposite direction that the Konnos and Uchiha needed to head.

A comfortable silence passed between the trio as they walked home, Aiko still trying to catch snow in her mouth ahead of them, Sasuke and Ami striding calmly beside other.

Neither found the serenity unwelcome, and so, for a good three-quarters of the way, a calming stillness rested between the pair, until Sasuke suddenly spoke.

"Your hair's gotten long." he said lightly.

"You noticed?" Ami said, slightly surprised, stroking it self-consciously.

"Hn. It used to be above your shoulders. Now it's a few inches below. A fair difference over four months. Not that small."

Ami was surprised. "Wow. Naruto didn't notice."

"Since when is he observant?"

She chuckled lightly. "Good point."

Ami tried to read the boy's expression, but she might as well have been looking at the back of his head.

'I hope he doesn't think I'm a fan girl who did it because of that rumor…' she thought, creasing her brow slightly. 'That's not the reason I did it… I did it for Grandma… Wait, why am I justifying this to myself…? I wonder what he thinks of it, though… I haven't asked any of the guys, and majority of the girls either hate me, are biased, or both.'

"…Do you like it?" she asked shyly, then felt like kicking herself for her idiocy. 'You _stupid cow_. What the _hell_ are you asking? What would Sasuke care about your _hair_ for?'

"Yeah."

The boy's rich voice yanked her from her inner scolding.

"Wha…?" she said stupidly.

The raven rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Don't make me repeat myself, Nami." he grunted. "It suits you."

Ami blinked, amazed at having been given an actual answer, and mumbled a soft; "Thanks." to the boy.

Sasuke just grunted then muttered something that sounded like; "Dobe wouldn't notice if his ass was on fire, never mind your hair…"

* * *

The following day, Team Seven had not been given another mission, and so, had been looped into a group training session together.

Ami was practicing Chakra control, trying to walk on top of the water of the river, a much harder challenge then that of the tree-climbing control exercise they had had in the Mist, and so, was currently running atop the river against the water's flow. Naruto and Sasuke were sparring at the moment, and Sakura was taking a rest, watching the two boys, although mainly focusing on Sasuke, as Kakashi leaned against a tree, reading his Flirting Paradise, Icha Icha book, which they had recently discovered to be a very dirty novel.

"Ami?" Sakura suddenly called.

The brunette tried to ignore her for a moment, needing full concentration at least until she got back over to the land and off the water, but then the pinkette, unhappy with being ignored, released a shrill shriek of "_Hey, Ami!_", startling the brunette and causing her to stumble, spin round, and effectively have her feet whipped our from under her, before she landed with a loud splash into the water, feet up over her head.

There was a moment of silence, then Sakura and Naruto burst out in laughter, while Sasuke and Kakashi smirked in amusement at the sight of their sopping teammate dragging herself out of the river, arms held out at her sides, gasping and choking both from having ran against the current during the training, then falling underwater and having her lungs filled with water.

"…Are you done?" Ami groaned at the cackling pair, wringing out her soaking hair and T-shirt, cursing under her breath as she coughed up river water.

Sakura wiped her eyes, went to apologize, but upon taking one look at Ami, exploded into hysterical laughter once again.

The brunette shook her head in annoyance. "I'm going home." she said, sighing.

"Aww… don't be like that." Naruto whined, "We're sorry, but it was funny." He snickered. "The look on your face when you went up in the air, ass over head, was _priceless_!"

"I'm not being arrogant, if it'd been one of you guys, I'd have laughed as well. It's just that I'll get sick if I stay wet." Ami stated simply, flicking her bangs out of her eyes. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye Ami!" Sakura said, waving farewell to the wet girl, who returned it over her shoulder.

Sasuke looked up at the sky and frowned at the weather signs above. It was overcast with dark clouds, and there was no wind. "I'm going home." he said.

'Alright!' Naruto thought happily, 'He's going to leave me alone with Sakura-chan!'

"Oh?" Sakura said, looking up at him, then jumping to her feet and running over. "Sasuke-kun!"

The raven rolled his eyes, knowing what was to come.

"Are you doing anything later on?" she asked sweetly. "If not, I was thinking maybe… we could go on a date?"

"I refuse." came the blunt reply.

Sakura wailed when he was gone, then slumped home, leaving Naruto behind, ignored.

* * *

Ami ran home as fast as she could, water stinging her body as it pounded against her skin. She just had to fall asleep at the training grounds, didn't she? After going home and changing, she had decided to go out training again, and ended up getting caught in a downpour. The inn was a good ten minutes away, and the rain was lashing now. She hoped that Aiko would have enough sense to stay inside and not go looking for her. She saw a rain shelter lying up ahead, and darted into it, trying to salvage what was left of her dryness.

She scowled up at the sky as she wrung out her soaking hair and clothes for the second time that day. She had used up a lot of Chakra, but decided that there was still enough to dry her clothes and hair with. After making a few hand signs, she slowly and carefully moved her hands over her body, knowing the dangers of making a mistake. Knowing where the external wetness ended and the body's internal water started wasn't always easy, and as over seventy per cent of the human body was made up of water, this water getting moved where it's not supposed to could have devastating consequences of injury, or even death if used improperly. Thankfully she had practiced this technique long enough to have almost perfect control of the water, provided she had little distractions, although she still didn't completely trust herself, and so only removed the majority of the water from her clothes, before pulling the water from the ends of her hair, not wanting to go near her scalp in fear of sustaining self-inflicted brain-damage.

Shivering slightly, she rubbed her upper arms, trying to warm herself, when she heard a small, squealing sound. Looking around, the girl saw a small cardboard box at the other end of the shelter. Trotting over in curiosity, the brunette saw a small, black kitten in the box, barely a few weeks old. Reading the side of the box, she saw a message scrawled in marker and scowled.

Free to good home.

It sickened her when people did this to animals. They wrote 'free to good home' but if they left the creature out like this, it was pretty obvious that they didn't care whether it lived or died. They might as well write; **Free to kick**.

She bent down and inspected the frail little creature trying to warm itself in the skimpy newspaper lining the box. It was skinny, looking as though it hadn't eaten for a few days and it seemed to be sick, coughing and wheezing, mewling pathetically.

Ami gently picked up the shaking kitten and took a closer look. She guessed that it was sick from the cold and wet. She wasn't sure whether or not it would live, but it definitely wouldn't if it was left. Ami placed the kitten back in the box. It clung to her, squealing in desperation, as if begging her not to leave it, but she gently pried its claws loose and laid it down. Ami contemplated what to do as she took off her skirt, fine thanks to the shorts underneath. She laid it on the ground and fully dried it with her technique, then picked it back up and wrapped the sickly cat in it, trying to remember if anyone she got along with was close by. Naruto's house was even further away than her own, and Sakura's wasn't any better.

'Maybe Sasuke will help?' she hoped.

* * *

She knew where his house was from being there before with Naruto. About three minutes away if she took the shortcut over his back wall, which was actually how she and Naruto had gotten in the first time to rearrange Sasuke's back yard furniture, putting it in all sorts of odd places, such as moving all of his potted plants right outside his back door like some sort of hedge. They were later violently chased by said boy when he noticed them both in his garden. She had been a mix of both surprised and impressed when she witnessed Sasuke leap clean over the plants (as some of them were trees about five feet high) and tear after them both as they hurriedly climbed back over the wall, narrowly avoiding the flowerpots he flung at them.

* * *

She ran through the rain to said wall as quickly as she could, squeezing out some of the last of her Chakra and sending it to her feet for and extra boost as she leapt over the wall with the cat. She ran to the back door and hammered a fist on it, hoping that she could be heard over the still gushing downpour.

A moment passed and she hammered again, cursing, before hearing Sasuke's voice call out an irritated swear.

He opened the door and his eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of the drenched girl standing on his back step.

"Sorry Sasuke, I know I'm intruding, but can I please come in?" she asked.

The raven stared at Ami a moment, then wordlessly stepped back and aside to allow her in.

"Thanks." Ami said gratefully as she stepped inside.

"Why are you outside?" Sasuke asked. "This rain is awful."

"I wanted to practice a technique that can only be done in moist air." Ami admitted sheepishly, "But I tired myself out too much and fell asleep. When I woke up it was raining. Then I ran into a rain shelter, and I found this." She unwrapped the cat in her skirt and Sasuke stepped forward to look at it. He frowned in displeasure.

"Sorry." Ami mumbled, feeling guilty at his expression. "I hadn't really planned on bringing strange animals into your house, but-"

"Do you think it will live?" he interrupted.

Ami frowned. "I'm not sure..." she admitted, "It's really young, and it looks pretty skinny-"

"It's sick too." Sasuke noted.

"Yeah..." Ami mumbled, growing less and less hopeful by the minute.

Sasuke looked at the pathetic creature in her arms, then gently took it from her and held it out in front of himself.

"Let's wash it first." he said, and Ami's head snapped up in delighted surprise. She had half-expected Sasuke to throw both her and the cat out.

Ami suddenly remembered. "That's right! I have to call Aiko! Sasuke, can I use your phone?"

"It's in the hall. Take off your shoes."

Ami thanked him and did as she was told, then ran out into the hallway and called Aiko.

"Aiko, I'm sorry," she explained over the phone, "I got caught in the rain, but I'm at Sasuke's house. I'll be home soon, so just wait, 'kay? Lock the doors and don't go outside. The weather's horrible."

"Okay!" Aiko replied happily, relieved that her sister was safe.

"Bye." Ami ended the call, and turned to see Sasuke holding the dark kitten wrapped in a towel in his arms.

She smiled at the raven, and he blinked back at her.

"What?"

"Thanks again, Sasuke."

He grunted. "What should we feed it?"

"It's too young for meat." Ami said, "Normally at that age they're still drinking their mother's milk, so bread and cow's milk would be the substitute."

"There's milk in the fridge. I'll get the bread."

As Ami looked in the fridge, she noticed that Sasuke definitely took better care of what he ate than Naruto. Fish, dairy products, eggs and fresh vegetables occupied the shelves of the spotless refrigerator, while Naruto's overflowed with ramen, ramen, more ramen, and the occasional carton of gone-off milk. However, there was one thing that Ami noticed missing.

"Sasuke?"

The boy looked over at her as he placed the cat on the floor, still swaddled in the fluffy towel.

"Do you really not like sweets?" she questioned.

"I really don't like them. Does it matter?"

"No. Just curious. Why would it?" She took out the milk and brought it over to the counter. "I don't like eggs or onions." she told him as she opened it. "What dish can I use for the cat?"

"Any one is fine."

Ami picked up a pale blue dish and placed it on the counter. "Tear the bread up into little bits, please." she instructed as she poured milk into the dish.

Sasuke obliged, then dropped them into the dish of milk where they became soggy and soft, then placed the dish on the floor for the cat, who stumbled over and ate hungrily.

The two stood in silence with each other a moment, watching the cat eating.

"Do you like chocolate?" Ami asked suddenly.

Sasuke looked at her curiously.

"Just tell me."

"...Bittersweet." he said after a while.

Ami nodded in understanding. "I see..."

Another moment of silence.

"Sasuke, I know I'm already pushing it... but could you do me a really big favour? I promise I'll pay you back."

Sasuke looked at her.

"Aiko gets attached to things far too quickly, and we're not sure whether or not this cat will live, so could you _please_ do me a _huge_ favour and keep it here for a short while? Just until we have some idea about whether or not it'll survive. I'll clean up after it and everything, I just need you to help me. Normally I'd bother Naruto, but I know that you'd take better care of it, and he'd probably be just as bad as Aiko if it died. And Sakura's parents don't like animals, so-"

"Fine." Sasuke said, cutting across the girl to shut her up.

"Eh? Really? You're the best Sasuke!" she cried, throwing her arms around the Uchiha in a tight hug.

Sasuke stiffened.

Ami picked up on this and released him immediately with a shy, silly grin. "Sorry."

Sasuke grunted. "If it craps, you clean it up."

The girl just contued to grin.

"Speaking of which, we should make it a litter box and bed too." Sasuke said, getting two cardboard boxes out of a closet. "Go get a towel and some newspaper."

"Kay!" Ami saluted, dashing out of the room and grabbing the newspaper she had seen earlier by the phone. She brought it back into Sasuke, who cut a side out of one of the boxes with a pair of scissors and lined the paper inside.

"It can use that for now. You can get litter and cat food later." Sasuke said, starting to cut a hole in the other box. "The bathroom is upstairs and to the right."

Ami ran up the staircase and got a pale blue towel from the bathroom and brought it back down to the boy.

He lined the second box with the plush material, then picked up the tiny kitten and placed it in the litter box.

The brunette went to Sasuke's table and sat down, before placing her head in her hands and wincing.

"It's staying there until it uses it." Sasuke said firmly, crossing his arms, "I don't want it decorating the floor." He turned to Ami, raising an eyebrow in question.

She shook her head when she noticed him. "It's nothing, I'm fine."

"Are you wet?"

"Kinda, but it's alright."

Sasuke looked out the window. "Judging by that rain, you could be here at least another hour. Go dry your clothes."

"I... can't dry them... yet." Ami admitted sheepishly, "I've used up all my Chakra."

"That's why you feel light-headed?"

"Probably. In another ten minutes or so, I should have enough to dry them, though." She sneezed. 'Oh dammit, I'm getting a cold.'

"If you treat that now, you'll be fine. Go take a shower."

"...Alright." she agreed after a moment. 'Sasuke's being nice, so I shouldn't be difficult, or he wouldn't bother in future.'

* * *

"Thanks again." the brunette girl said, trying to speak louder than the noise being made as she blow-dried her hair.

"Hn."

Ami chuckled. "Like saying that, don't you?"

Sasuke walked over to the box with the cat in it. "Ami," he called over the hairdryer, "The cat left you a present."

The girl laughed. "Thank you."

* * *

"See you tomorrow!" Ami said, waving happily as she made her way towards the door.

"Hold on."

She stopped and watched as Sasuke reached to a hook by the door and took down a white raincoat, then handed it to her.

"In case it starts again." he clarified.

Ami smiled and slipped it on. "Thanks."

"You've been thanking me all evening."

The girl grinned at him. "You know what, Sasuke?"

The raven raised an eyebrow.

"I've changed my mind. I like you." She opened the door and headed towards home, Sasuke staring after her, then rolling his eyes.

'...Weirdo.' he thought, sighing as he watched her running home, white coat glowing in the darkness, then slipped back inside.

* * *

Ami was still coming to life in the bathroom the following morning when she noticed the weather.

It was still pouring, and had barely stopped all night, if at all.

'It's falling straight.' she dimly registered. 'It'll rain all day.'

Brushing her teeth, she recalled that the raincoat Sasuke had loaned her was hanging up by the door, beside her own navy jacket. She spat into the sink and swore aloud.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was twenty to nine. They were to meet at the bridge at nine, and knowing Sasuke, he'd be early, even if it would more than likely mean waiting even longer for Kakashi, who would probably be three hours late, sun, rain, wind or snow. They had been taking missions for four months, and the sensei of team seven still had yet to arrive anywhere even remotely close to on time even once.  
After quickly finishing in the bathroom, she staggered towards her room, walking into the sliding door and putting a fist through the paper by accident, then swearing once more before finally pushing it open, and running inside to get dressed.

Hurriedly brushing her hair then dashing down the stairs and into the kitchen, past Miku and Sachi, two of the women that had taken residence in the dorm, who each greeted her with a "Good morning, Ami-sama", which she replied to with a fast "Thank you, and good morning" still pulling on her clothes, holster, weapon pouches and water canteen, hitae-ate swinging from her mouth, Ami flew past her dozing sister, who mumbled a dopey "Mornin'…" in greeting. She pushed her bangs apart and tied on her headband, grabbing a slice of toast in her teeth as she yanked the material taut against her hair, then darted towards the door of the inn, grabbing the coat and umbrella, crying out to her sister; "Bye Aiko see you later wear a coat it's raining lock the doors if the others go out don't get lost be safe I love youuu!" in one breath before rushing outside, tugging on and zipping up her own rain jacket in the cascading torrents gushing down from the heavens.

She flew down the steps, almost slipping on the wet stone, but catching herself and continuing, then darted to her left along the street, turning right and flying past Konoha Police Department towards the Uchiha compound.

Dashing down the empty street, puddles splashing under her feet, droplets flying up from them as she ran, Ami's eyes searched for the house she had left the night before, trying to imagine what it would look like in daylight. She quickly realised which it was.

The only one with the lights on.

Her heart stung for the only remaining Uchiha.

She practically screeched when she saw a dark head of hair appear around the door frame. "DON'T YOU DARE COME OUTSIDE!"

The boy looked up at her and Ami saw his eyes widen slightly in surprise. She slid to a halt before the entrance, almost slipping in the rain, and thrust the coat out in front of herself.

"Sorry, I forgot to return this." she panted to the boy, who rose an eyebrow at her, composure having returned.

"You ran the whole way?"

Ami nodded, still gasping.

"I had a spare, you know." He held up a second raincoat in front of her.

"Can I come in?"

"We have a mission."

The brunette gave the raven an exasperated look. "_Sasuke_, if Kakashi sensei comes early, or even _on time _today, I'll sing and dance on the roof of the academy wearing nothing but my headband, _in this rain_."

"…You've made your point."

She stepped inside, removed her shoes and hung up the coats, then glanced around. The previous evening, fussing over the cat had taken up too much of her attention to get a decent look at the place. It was tidy, was the first thing she noticed. The second thing was a small picture frame on the hall table to her left. She looked at it and a family looked right back at her.

There was a man, a woman and two boys. The man had dark skin, brown hair, a bored expression, and wasn't particularly fortunate in terms of looks. The woman was a beautiful, smiling, young lady, with dark eyes, long, black hair and smooth, pale skin. The children in the photo obviously took after their mother, with pale skin, attractive faces, and dark hair. The older of the two, who seemed about thirteen, had long, raven hair in a ponytail, dark eyes, and what appeared to be two creases in his face, extending from either side of the bridge of his nose out into his cheeks. The younger seemed roughly eight or nine years of age, and like the woman and other boy, had a fair complexion, black hair and onyx eyes. His hair was spiked up at the back, and his bangs fell into his eyes as he smiled at the camera.

'So that's what Sasuke looked like smiling…' she thought, fascinated at seeing the unfamiliar expression on her raven teammate's face. 'I wonder what he'd look like now?'

As she gazed at the photograph, she couldn't help her thoughts drifting back to the pictures on her own tabletop, one that was a family photo before Aiko was born, of her hugging her pregnant, blue-eyed, brunette mother's stomach as her father, a green eyed, auburn-haired man, hugged them both, all three people smiling widely. The second one was of her at four years of age and the newborn Aiko with Grandma standing in the kitchen back at their old house in the south.

"It's still alive, by the way."

Ami's head was still fuzzy as she thought a moment before realising what Sasuke was talking about.

"The cat?" she questioned stupidly.

She really was not a morning person.

The boy nodded.

"I see. Thanks for taking care of it."

"I don't mind."

It wasn't a lie. He really didn't. Although Sasuke would never admit it, it was lonely in the Uchiha compound by himself. Company, even from a sick kitten, had been comforting.

"We have three hours to kill. We should buy food and litter, but I'd like to check the cat out first though. That okay with you?"

"Hn."

Glimpsing around the kitchen, she saw that the cat was currently snuggled up in a ball in its box, looking completely content. She couldn't help but smile at the look of bliss on its furry face, its feet over its head.

"Sorry, baby." she said, gently picking it up and studying its face as she held it, one arm around its body, the other underneath, supporting its feet.

The cat mewled and placed a paw on her cheek. She laughed. "It's far healthier now. I think it'll get better. Thanks Sasuke. I'll relieve you of…" She placed it down and lifted its tail. "_her_ tomorrow."

"…Hn."

"Sasuke, have you named it yet?" Ami asked as the animal rubbed against her hand.

"No… I've just been calling it 'cat'."

"Any ideas?" She scratched it behind the ears, being rewarded with loud purring.

A shake of the head.

"Try to think of something."

A shrug.

"C'mon, Sasuke."

The cat meowed, staring up at them both with big, blue eyes.

"No, that's Sasuke." Ami said, pointing to the raven.

"What did you call it when you lifted it out of the box?" said boy asked.

She tried to remember.

"'Baby', wasn't it?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"That's her name then."

"That's a good name, Sasuke! Hello, Baby."

The cat placed a velveteen paw on her nose and she giggled.

"Hey, Sasuke."

The boy looked at her.

"She kind of looks like you." Ami said, "Her hair spikes up at the back too. Look." She tried to flatten the dark fur on the back of the feline's head by running a hand over it, but the spikes returned almost instantly.

"Wonderful." the boy droned sarcastically.

"Baby, you're so cute!" Ami giggled, the paw slipping off her nose.

The cat sneezed in her face.

Sasuke smirked.

* * *

**Aww. :D **

**I loved writing about Ami being in a rush. So fun. :)**

**Also, the women in the inn will be introduced later on. They won't always be faceless, but be honest, when you heard the name 'Miku', how many of you thought of the vocaloid with green pigtails? :D**

**This chapter may seem fairly pointless, but trust me, some of it may well serve a very important purpose later on. :D**

**And... I think my writing may be improving, little by little. :3**

**Also, if you're confused about the connection between being tanned and being a commoner, I'll explain. Pale skin was once considered more attractive than tanned skin, although, nowadays the reverse is believed by many, and instead of parasols for sun protection, we all spray ourselves with fake tan to make ourselves look like oranges on legs. First sign of sun and Ireland strips naked. The Japanese were no different, and this idea of beauty is clearly shown in the geisha women. I'm naturally pale, with no tanning ability whatsoever (I go from white to pink to red then back to white again. And I'm proud! :D) because some of my family from my mother's side were quite classy, aristocratic people (My dad's a pure bogman, though. XD), and it's in the genes of those high-up people. Commoners and peasants however, are known for having tanned skin from working in fields and the like, the weather abuse giving them their colour. Also, the wealthy also had smaller hands and slimmer fingers then commoners, (I have commoner hands as well as aristocrat complexion, so I'm a real moggy. lol)**

**So, as both Naruto and Ami are tanned, they are considered commoners, while Sasuke and... Hinata would be another good example, with light skin, would be considered to be of nobler blood.**


	13. Headbutts, Lilies and Milk

**Enjoy. ;D**

**I was SO tempted to call this chapter "Calling You Baby", but I wanted to keep up the pattern of three-subject chapter titles.**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Headbutts, Lilies and Milk

* * *

Sasuke gazed out the window of his room, frowning at the rain that was still pouring down outside. It had gone on all through the night, and even now, at twelve o'clock in the day, it wasn't letting up in the least, and the day refused to change from its dark, wet state to anything remotely suitable to go training in.

Sasuke was restless. Doing nothing when he should be training did not suit him. It was dull and annoying and a waste of time.

He was pulled out of his agitated thoughts by a mewl and a furry mass head-butting his calf. Looking down, black eyes met silvery blue, and the pair engaged in a staring contest until Sasuke finally gave in to the black kitten's wishes and picked it up, sat it on his lap, and began stroking it, much to the small animal's absolute delight.

The cat turned around and began kneading the boy's upper body, purring loudly as it was scratched behind the ears.

Sasuke, thinking its pushing meant that it wanted to get down, went to put the young cat back on the floor, but the animal clung to his T-shirt and mewled loudly in protest, and he guessed he had been wrong, allowing it to return to its previous position.

The raven winced at the feel of claws pricking his skin through his shirt and picked up the feline's paws, lifting them from his chest and putting them back down when velvet.

He was pleased when the kitten seemed to understand, and no longer pressed hard enough to pierce him.

"Good, Baby." he said, smiling slightly as he continued to stroke the fluffy black cat.

A knock at the door made the animal's head jerk round, and Sasuke frowned, knowing who it was. It wasn't that he particularly disliked the person at the door, it was just that he knew what they were here for, and to be honest, he didn't really want it to happen.

Placing Baby on the floor, he made his way over to the door and pulled it open.

As expected, Ami stood before him, dressed in a navy raincoat, bangs plastered to her face.

"Hey, Sasuke!" she said happily, waving, flicking water off her coat sleeve with the motion. "Can I come in?"

The raven stepped to the side.

Ami walked in and smiled at the cat, which scampered over to her, stared a moment until she took off the wet coat, then rubbed against her before striding over to the raven and wrapping herself around his legs.

"She's really gotten fond of you." the brunette said, smiling at the sight of the affectionate animal rubbing on the boy.

"Hn. She follows me everywhere."

"Well, you'll be rid of her by the end of today."

Sasuke was silent a moment, then began gathering up the cat supplies that they had bought into a small box.

Baby sat on a chair in the corner and curled up into a ball.

"Sorry to have asked such a troublesome thing of you, Sasuke. I bet you're glad that you won't have to mind her anymore, huh?" Ami asked, placing the last of the catfood cans into the cardboard box.

"…hn."

The brunette girl frowned at the Uchiha's response.

The boy noticed and looked at her, silently demanding for her to explain her expression.

The girl chewed her lip slightly, then spoke.

"Sasuke."

The boy remained mute, brow knitted.

"What _do_ you want?" she asked.

There was the raising of an eyebrow, nothing more.

Ami sighed. "Okay, you're going to pretend that you don't understand. Fine. I'll explain."

Silence.

"You want Baby." she said. It was more of a statement than a question. "You don't want me to take her. Is that the case?"

Another moment of silence. "You're the one who found her, Nami." he said, turning away.

"I'm perfectly aware that it was me who found her. That's not what I asked you."

Sasuke sighed.

"Be honest." the brunette girl said firmly. "And look me in the eye when you answer."

He wouldn't.

"If you don't answer me, I'll go with my hunch and leave Baby with you, because I believe that you really do want her. You just won't admit it because you've got this weird thing about showing emotion and feelings."

Sasuke's brow furrowed.

"One minute. Then I want your answer or I leave anyway." Ami said, folding her arms. "Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight-"

"Oh,_ shut up._"

She raised an eyebrow and Sasuke scowled.

"If you spend a lot of time with something, eventually you'll get attached." the raven said in an annoyed voice. He glared at Ami, and was surprised to see her smiling widely at him.

'It's only been a _day_, you big _softy_.' she thought smugly. "Alright, then!" the girl said with a grin, "I'll leave her with you."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he felt a happiness well up inside him, but for some reason, decided not to let it show on his face.

Ami was right. He didn't like showing his emotions.

"Black cats are also said to ward off evil, you know!" the brunette girl chirped, "Maybe she'll help with your stalkers!" She stroked Baby's head then walked to the door, slipping on her coat and shoes, then pulled up her hood. "Just make sure to take good care of her!"

With that, she was gone, leaving a secretly delighted Sasuke with his new look-alike pet.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino looked up at the sound of the bell by the door ringing, and called out a hearty "Welcome!", wearing a wide smile until she saw who it was.

Ami looked about herself, glanced towards the counter and mentally groaned when she recognized the face of a blonde-haired fan girl.

"Well, well, if it isn't _Konno Ami_."

"Afternoon." she mumbled, bowing slightly.

Ino mimicked the action and as they both stood up, Ami took the chance to check what the girl's name was by means of the name tag.

"So, what are you looking for?" Ino questioned, eyes drifting to the roses over Ami's shoulder.

"Lilies." the brunette said, stepping over to the aforementioned flowers and eyeing them somberly. "White ones. ...I need two bouquets."

Ino's eyebrow's lifted and the smirk left her face as she realised what the flowers were for.

Graves.

* * *

The first bunch was for Hamako's grave. Ami sat, prayed and spoke to her grandmother a while, as she tidied up the grave. She wiped down the headstone with water from her pouch, pulled away any weeds from around the grave, then said her goodbyes and left to visit her father.

* * *

Kneeling down in front of the green-black memorial stone near where she, Sasuke and Sakura had passed Kakashi's bell test, Ami laid down the flowers gazed at the dark rock a moment, picking out her father's name on the stone, _Konno Kenshin_, and sighing sadly as she ran her fingers over it.

She prayed and talked for a while, speaking about how she and Aiko were doing, what had happened recently, her most recent missions, what she was feeling, asking him to let Mom know that she would do her best to get a break to visit their mother's grave back in the south, and of course, how much she loves him.

She stood up and told her father goodbye, then turned back to the inn.

* * *

On the way home, she met Sasuke, with someone else she hadn't been expecting.

"Baby?"

Sasuke stopped walking and looked up at the sound of her voice as several surrounding fan girls had what seemed like epileptic seizures at the sight of the Uchiha being called 'Baby' (or so they thought), by a girl other than themselves.

The small black kitten was effectively stalking the boy, residing mainly in his shadow as she looked up at him with adoring blue eyes.

"Morning, Sasuke, Baby."

Any fans that had recovered fell into another bout of horror-induced convulsions.

"Morning."

A mewl sounded as the black cat began winding herself around the boy's legs, then latched onto his shin bandages and clambered up his shorts and shirt until she got onto his shoulder, then laid there like a fluffy, ebony towel, claws digging slightly into the fabric to hold herself in place.

Ami smiled at the sight of the animal beginning to head-butt the boy's face and the raven reaching up to scratch the delighted feline behind the ears with a roll of the eyes.

"How does she work, then?" Ami asked, "Any luck?"

Sasuke thought a moment as the cat rubbed her face against his cheek, whiskers tickling his nose as he scratched her under the ear. "She hissed at a fangirl that tried to pet her earlier on, and I haven't encountered any bad luck, but when she sits on me like this, people stare at me as though I'm insane… A three year-old called me 'Catman'."

"Fun, fun, fun, then." Ami grinned. "I'll see you later." she said, continuing on her way back to the dorm, waving as she went. "Good luck to you both!"

The boy waved as he received another thud in the skull from the dark feline on his shoulder.

* * *

The young Konno girl ascended the steps and looked up at the dorm proudly. The surrounding trees that had lost their leaves were beginning to come into bud, the small green nubs showing clearly on the brown branches.

She was noticed by one of the tenants as she shook out towels on top of the roof, hanging them up on the clothesline.

"Welcome back, Ami-sama!" Yoshida Miku called. Ami looked up at the eighteen year-old freelance writer, pulling a strand of short blonde hair out of her green eyes.

Ami waved up at her, chirping her thanks, then walked in the door, being greeted by another of the girls, Akiyama Haruka, an ANBU woman with long black hair and chocolate brown eyes.

Aiko ran down the stairs with Kotone, Haruka's younger sister, in tow. They were both around the same age, and Ami had later learned that the pair were apparently the best of friends, as well as being in the same class together at the academy.

Her younger sibling skidded to a halt in front of her, then spoke a quick message to her elder sister.

"You have a mission tomorrow!" she relayed, "Kakashi-sensei says to meet at the bridge at nine o'clock! You're helping out at an old woman's farm in the country. He says to wear old clothes because you're going to 'get covered in god knows what'."

'_Oh, joy._' "Thanks, Aiko…"

* * *

The following day, the sky had cleared and the Country of Fire was back to its usual dryness, although there was a chilly wind blowing today, nipping at the skin on the brunette girl's arms, legs and face.

For once, she had decided to come at the designated time for the mission, even though she knew Kakashi wouldn't be there until at least three hours later.

A raven-haired boy walking onto the bridge, team seven's meeting place, brought her out of her thoughts. "Morning, Sasuke."

"Hn."

"You still stand by your decision?" she asked.

The raven rose a fine eyebrow. "Actually, it was more like your decision."

Ami chuckled. "True, but was I right?"

A slight nod. "I thought you would want her, though."

Ami placed a hand on her hair, smoothing it down. "Hmm, well, how should I put this?" she wondered aloud. "Okay, I like you, and I like Baby, therefore, it should be assumed that I would want both of you to be happy, correct?"

A grunt of agreement.

"So why would I pull her away from you for my own selfish wishes? I'm not that kind of person."

"…I suppose that's true."

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Oh, _shit_." Ami grumbled in annoyance. She liked Sakura, she really did, but when she called the Uchiha's name like that, it made her skin crawl.

The pink-haired girl's smile slid off her face when she caught sight of Ami. Sure, the brunette had been closer, but let's face it, when it came to Sasuke, she had tunnel vision.

"Ami?" she questioned, sounding slightly annoyed. "Why are _you_ here?"

Inner Sakura wanted to deck the girl. 'DAMMIT! This was meant to be_ my _alone time with _Sasuke-kun_! Why is _she _here!'

Ami sighed slightly. "I was bored, had nothing else to do, and one of my tenants was making so much noise I couldn't go back to sleep."

"_Why didn't you complain?_" Sakura questioned icily.

"It was eight o'clock, Sakura, not three in the morning."

The pink-haired girl looked pissed.

Ami was in a no-win situation. There were only degrees of losing.

'If I stay, Sakura's pissed with me for being in the way of her 'alone time' with Sasuke. If I leave, Sasuke's pissed with me for leaving him with a crazy fangirl who won't stop flirting and talking when he's interested in neither.'

She closed her eyes and mentally weighed who's wrath she would rather face and what would be best in the long run.

'Sasuke will be an ass for longer than Sakura, and Sakura can't really give out to me, and definitely won't even try while Sasuke's here. I'm a part of this team, and female, and straight. I don't plan on changing any of those anytime soon. Sakura has to accept that and stop viewing me as an obstacle rather than a friend. If I leave every time she comes over to fangirl, Sasuke will come to resent me, and Sakura will come to expect that behavior from me.' She opened her eyes, having made her decision. 'I refuse to bend to that. Sakura will just have to do without annoying Sasuke today.'

To display her finality, she slid down the side of the bridge and sat, closing her eyes, clearly preparing for the long wait ahead as she ignored Sakura's scowl.

* * *

After a while, Naruto joined the trio and relieved some of the awkward tension. Unfortunately for him, this was by basically acting as a punchbag for Sakura.

Three hours later, Kakashi appeared in a burst of smoke, and waved cheerily as he began some pathetic excuse that Ami didn't even bother to listen to as Sakura and Naruto yelled at him for his tardiness.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were taking care of the chickens, and Kakashi was back at the woman's house, no doubt somehow eating pie despite his mask and reading his porn-filled book.

"So, why'd you decide to choose me to help you?" Ami asked, trotting beside the Uchiha, her knees and hands covered in dirt as Sasuke somehow remained spotless after planting seeds in another field, as they made their way across the wet, grassy land.

The boy was quiet a moment, then said; "You're the least annoying."

"You flatter me."

"Hn."

There was a moment of silence, then Ami stopped. The raven turned to look at her. She had a worried and confused expression. "…Sasuke?"

"What is it?"

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

The raven rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm sure."

Ami wasn't convinced. "Sasuke. _Please._ Actually_ consider _what I'm saying. I know you're a very proud person, and you don't like being corrected, but I _seriously_ don't think this is the right way."

"And just _what_ makes you think that?" Sasuke demanded, aggravated with the girl.

"We came over a hill. The land here is flat."

She was right.

Sasuke's eyebrows lifted as he looked around. Maybe he really was mistaken.

"Also, I don't recognize that tree and rock over there, do you?"

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "I guess you're right." he admitted sheepishly, embarrassed at having made such a simple mistake. "We'd best turn back."

"Oh, fuck."

Sasuke turned to the girl, frowning. 'You're meant to be a girl, Nami. Language?'

Ami wasn't facing him. She was looking to the right, eyes wide with fear.

Sasuke looked in the same direction and cursed. He was a guy, it was alright for him.

A white horse was staring them down.

The same white horse they had been warned about earlier by the old woman who had requested this mission.

The same _insane_, _extremely violent_, _human-hating_, white horse.

The raging stallion was gazing at them, stamping its feet and pinning back its ears.

It charged.

Sasuke grabbed Ami before she could run, and she turned to look at him in terrified confusion. "Do you want us to die!" she demanded, trying to pull her hand from the boy's firm grasp.

"Don't run until I tell you. Run to the right as fast as you can, use Chakra, and don't look back until you're out of this field. I'll go left. But don't run until I tell you."

Ami's eyes fell on the approaching horse and she squeezed Sasuke's hand, trying to calm down.

"Trust me." the raven said, squeezing back.

She bit her lip then nodded, sighing slightly when she was released.

"Get ready..." the boy warned.

The pair stood still, ready to run but unmoving, until the horse was mere feet from them.

Then, Sasuke exploded with a; "_RUN!_" and they both shot in opposite directions, Chakra driving them forwards. The horse stopped a moment, confused as to who he should go after, then decided on Sasuke.

Ami leaped over the hedge around the pasture and almost tripped when she landed, leaping up again to check if Sasuke was alright.

He was still running, but the chalky beast was hot on his heels, and catching up fast.

Sasuke was fast, but he couldn't beat the horse.

The animal reared up and slammed its hooves down onto the boy's back.

"_Sasuke!_" Ami screamed, then noticed the clearing smoke and log that had replaced his body. She sighed in relief when she saw that Sasuke sat, unharmed, but panting, in the neighboring field.

The horse meanwhile, was shocked, but after a while of nudging and staring at the lump of wood, returned to grazing.

Ami ran to the boy and dropped down beside him. "Thank you." she panted.

Sasuke nodded, too out of breath to speak.

The pair sat beside each other, breathing heavily for a moment, then the raven spoke.

"I… suppose we should turn around, then?" Sasuke suggested quietly.

"I-I guess." she smiled.

* * *

The raven and brunette walked in the door, now both muddy from planting, being chased by the insane horse, and then getting caught in a downpour a mile from the house, running across the acres of grassland splattering them both with filth. They made their way to the small utility bathroom in the corner of the room to wash their hands, then exited.

"Castrate that insane horse, please." Ami grumbled, taking a seat at the table beside Sakura, who glared at her for taking the place she had been saving for Sasuke. Her complaints quelled however, as Sasuke slid in beside Naruto and opposite her.

There would be no difficulty in staring.

The old woman gave them all sandwiches and milk, which the Genin ate thankfully.

Ami was deep in thought as Naruto jabbered on to the others about something she wasn't listening to, Sakura yelled at him for something he either said or did, and Kakashi whipped out his dirty novel as Sasuke ignored them all.

Her gaze drifted about the room, then finally fell on the raven, who was eating slowly in small bits. He may well have been one of the slowest eaters she had ever seen, and strangely, Ami was reminded of a tortoise chewing a tomato.

As Ami ate her own food and drink she found herself staring at the boy from across the table, not particularly sure why. He was just interesting to look at, she guessed, then felt cold liquid pour down her front. Ami's eyes were ripped from the boy's face onto her chest, and with a jolt of shock, realised that in her lethargic stupor, she had somehow managed to miss her mouth, as a result tipping at least half of her drink onto her torso.

Naruto burst out laughing as the brunette swore quietly, cursing her own stupidity, as she shyly asked the old woman for a paper towel.

The old woman, rather than simply handing her the napkin, began to mop up the mess on the poor girl's breast herself, unintentionally humiliating her further as her teammates and sensei snickered at her.

"Here, you'd best take that off. I'll wash it for you." the old woman said, pulling Ami's T-shirt up over her head like you might with a child, tugging forth more sniggers and smirks.

Ami thanked the woman as she walked away with the soiled item of clothing, then folded her arms over the bandages on her torso, pouting in annoyance.

"If you're trying to make your boobs look bigger, Ami, that won't help a whole lot." Sakura giggled.

Ami really wasn't in the mood for being teased.

She had been stuck on a crappy mission, gotten chased by a psychotic horse, had milk dumped down her front, and was now sitting half-naked at a table that was covered in sandwiches, ninety per cent of which happened to be egg.

In case you've forgotten, she hated egg.

And so, she wasn't particularly in one of her better moods when she replied with; "Fuck off, Sakura. Sensei's tits are bigger than yours."

Sakura's jaw dropped and Kakashi choked on his own spit.

That's right.

Not sandwich.

He wasn't eating.

Meaning he never took off his mask.

Meaning after all that _crap_, she hadn't even gotten to see her sensei's face.

God.

Today had _sucked_.

* * *

They waved goodbye to the old woman and began making their way home, tired, sweaty, and dirty.

'All _that_ for two-thousand five-hundred yen each?' Ami thought, annoyed. 'I'm glad that I have tenants and support.'

"Nami."

The brunette turned to look at the raven and was shocked to see something she had never really noticed before.

In the light of the evening sun, Ami realised just how good-looking the young Uchiha was; dark hair and eyes that contrasted beautifully with smooth, snowy skin, a slim yet strong physique and a relaxed expression on his handsome face as he gave off a serene, composed aura.

He turned to look at her and as she gazed into onyx orbs, she felt something she had never felt before, but the best way to describe it was literally a nervous, excited little, well actually, rather _huge_ flip in her stomach.

"You should start tying your hair back, or it'll get in the way." he commented plainly.

'Was his voice _always_ this nice?' Ami thought, still trying to comprehend the sensation she had just experienced, when she was hit with it again. "Uh… yeah…" she answered lamely, brain fogging as she barely registered what the boy was saying.

The raven surveyed her a moment, then calmly turned his head away.

Ami suddenly felt very nervous and giddy. It took her several minutes, but when she figured it out, she practically had a mental fit.

She placed her head in her hands, then tried to cover it up by rubbing her eyes, cursing mentally as she tried to come to terms with what had happened to her.

It hadn't happened in the kind of situation she had imagined; on a mission at a farm, covered in mud and smelling of milk (it had gotten down her top and soaked her chest binding as well).

They weren't alone, in fact, they had their teammates and sensei walking right beside them.

The scenery wasn't beautiful, and actually, it smelled of horse crap.

It hadn't been a magical feeling of flying or enlightenment, it actually felt like she had just received a hard punch in the face that yanked her harshly into reality.

And it _definitely_ hadn't been with someone she had expected.

It was perfect by no means, but nonetheless, it had happened.

She had fallen for someone.

And that someone was Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

**HURRHURR :B  
**

**It's been thirteen chapters, I thought it was about time something happened, didn't you? :D**

**I kind of based Ami's feelings about her first crush off my own in regards to the realisation, (although mine was in a classroom during a boring history documentary with a bitchy teacher, and what did he do? He made me laugh and then he _smiled_ at me. I'd known the guy for a little over a year and a half before this happened, but I figured that would be way too long for this fanfic) and to me, it just came out of nowhere like a truck and slammed into me, sending me completely arse over head.**

**So, there you have it. The real fun begins, and Ami's a big fat hypocrite. ^^**


	14. Dreams, Hags and Chocolates

**Enjoy. :)**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Dreams, Hags and Chocolates

* * *

Water rushed swiftly through the air and exploded against a rock protruding above the lake's surface.

'Again.' Ami thought as she stood atop the water, already making more hand signs, 'That's ten so far. I'll get fifty perfect strikes in a row today.'

"Oi, Nami."

She turned her head and saw Sasuke sitting calmly at the edge of the lake, his pale visage impassive and uncaring as always.

The boy motioned for her to come towards him.

'I'll just start over when I'm done with him.' she thought, 'I only just started training, I'm not even sweaty yet. More practise. I need it.'

She wiped the water from her brow before walking over and standing in front of him as he sat on the grass. "Yeah?"

He gestured beside himself with a slight tilt of the head.

"Sit."

She did.

"What do you-?"

She went silent as Sasuke leaned over and wrapped his arms around her.

Ami felt her cheeks heating and her stomach somersault. "Sasuke-" she said, trying to keep her voice level, but it cracked.

"_I know you like me._" he purred in her ear with a velveteen voice.

Ami's face blazed scarlet, and she felt herself shiver at the feel of the boy's breath in her ear. "N-no I-"

"_Don't bother. You're a terrible liar, Nami._"

She felt the cool air from his lips and shivered again.

"_Just admit it._"

Ami's breath hitched as Sasuke moved his mouth close to hers, barely an inch away, dark eyes locked onto her own, like a predator that had cornered its prey.

Shock was flooding her brain and she couldn't move.

Their lips were almost touching…

Ami nearly had a heart attack when Sakura suddenly leaped up out of the bushes behind them, screeching shrilly as she came.

* * *

Ami nearly fell out of bed at the sound of the alarm clock jerking her awake. She slammed her hand down on the timepiece to shut it off with a little more force than necessary, then sat in bed for a full minute, blushing profusely at the dream she had just had.

"What the hell was _that_!" she finally squealed, burying her face into her pillow in embarrassment.

"Sis?" a worried voice called from the other side of the door. "Are you okay?"

"_Fine!_" the older girl called back, face scarlet. "I'll be out in a few minutes!"

The sound of footsteps began and faded as Aiko left and Ami fell back into bed, covering her face with her arms as she dropped.

'It's just a moment of madness.' she thought to herself, trying to throw a cover over the elephant in the room of her mind. 'I'm just grateful to him for saving me from the horse, and I've noticed that he's good-looking. I'll see Sasuke today and feel fine. There'll be no weird stomach flipping, or blushing, or staring…'

She suddenly remembered that Sasuke had held her hand as the stallion was charging at them.

Her face reddened and she felt her stomach tie itself up in knots. Glancing to the left, her eyes fell on the team photo of squad seven.

The two girls were standing in the middle, both slightly crouched, Sakura by Sasuke, smiling with her hands up close to her face and Ami beside Naruto, flashing a toothy grin. Kakashi was standing at the back, eye crinkled in a hidden smile, a hand on each of the boys' heads. Naruto was scowling over the girls' heads at Sasuke, arms folded and teeth bared as the raven glowered at the camera.

She suddenly realised that she had been grinning like an idiot ever since she had seen Sasuke's face.

She laid there a moment, then sat up and sighed in defeat.

'Okay, I'm turning into a fangirl. Of Sasuke. Relax, Ami. It's not the end of the world. You will still have some respect for yourself. You are not rabid.' She lifted her head slightly to glare at the wall. 'Yet, anyway…'

Sighing again, she got to her feet and lolloped over to her closet, pulling out some clothes and getting dressed.

* * *

She walked to Naruto's apartment and knocked on the door.

There were several minutes of silence, and Ami was about to knock again, when her blond-haired best friend opened the door, eyes half-open, a cup of ramen in one hand, still wearing his pyjamas.

"…Ami?" he asked sleepily, breath smelling of the greasy food he was holding, squinting and blinking at the girl.

"Wake up, Naruto. I need to tell you something important."

The boy rubbed his eyes and they became a little brighter. "What is it?" he asked.

"Listen, and remember this."

Naruto's eyes became a little less squinted.

"Aiko and I are going to go away for about a week or so."

Blue orbs widened in surprise at her words, but Naruto stayed silent as she continued.

"We're going to visit our mother's grave back at our hometown. I need you to explain to Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke-" She blushed slightly at the raven's name but Naruto, due to still being half-asleep, didn't notice. "-that we're going. Give any messages to the girls at the inn. Miku, if you can. She's the one with blonde hair and green eyes. If you can't get her, tell Anzu. She's a redhead."

Naruto was awake now and nodded, grabbing a piece of paper and writing down the girl's instructions.

Ami looked it over and nodded. "That's right. Thanks, Naruto, and I'll see you in a week or so!"

"B-bye!" the blond called after her, then went inside and stuck the note to his fridge.

* * *

Aiko was waiting outside the front of Keijousai inn, being fussed over by Miku, a freelance writer who-due to having a weak chest-was unable to become a ninja.

"Are you _sure _you've got everything?" the shy blonde-haired girl questioned, preening and checking the Aiko frantically.

"I'm fine…" the little girl mumbled.

"Aiko!" Ami called, scaling the stone steps.

Her younger sibling's eyes lit up and she grabbed Ami's bag and dashed over to her sister, pulling it behind her.

"Aiko, stop. You'll rip out the bottom." Ami said, trotting over to the girl and taking the rucksack from her and slinging it over her shoulder. "Bye, Miku! I'm entrusting this place to you while we're gone! Mind it well!"

The blonde waved and said her farewells, and the sisters made their way towards the village gates.

They passed by the wall at the back of Sasuke's house, and Aiko suddenly squealed delightedly. "Look, sis! It's Baby! Isn't she _cute_?"

'_Baby? She follows Sasuke everywhere! That means Sasuke's around!_' Ami thought, frantically spinning her head around to face the cat and look out for her crush.

She almost laughed out loud at the sight she was met with.

Sasuke was huffing in annoyance, cheeks reddening slightly in self-consciousness at being watched by his teammate and her younger sister, as he attempted to pluck the cat's claws from a pair of blue boxers on his washing-line as the kitten held fast, clinging to the fabric and mewling loudly in protest.

"Aww!" Aiko giggled. "Sasuke! She saw you were doing laundry and wanted to help! Tell her she's cute!"

"_Yeah, she's adorable._" the raven grumbled caustically, still trying to pull the kitten from his undergarments. "Stupid-_ they're ripping_!" he hissed angrily at the dark-furred animal, who continued to cling.

Ami felt her cheeks colour as she tried to gather the guts to speak to the boy, then called his name for attention. "Ah… um… Sasuke?"

The boy glanced at her and frowned. "What is it Nami? I'm_ busy _right now."

'_You had better not think I'm some rabid fangirl! Don't you dare lump me together with that lot!_' she thought furiously, but spoke shyly. "Well… ah… her claws are hook-shaped so… if you just try unhooking rather than just pulling her…" '_Damned butterflies!_'

The boy gave her a quick look, then tried what she had suggested. The cat came off easily. He looked surprised a moment, then grunted as he dropped Baby to the ground. Not from a great height, of course. She was still only a kitten.

"…Thanks, Nami." he muttered.

Ami wasn't offended. She knew Sasuke was just like that. He didn't enjoy being helped, but it didn't mean he wasn't grateful.

"No problem."

She went to walk away, then Aiko suddenly yelled. "Sis, wait! You forgot!"

''Forgot'? Forgot what?' Ami wondered, confused.

"Sasuke, we're leaving Konoha!" Aiko called over to the boy.

Sasuke's head snapped up and he stared at them in shock.

"It's not permanent!" Ami said quickly, and the raven seemed to relax slightly. '_God,_ Aiko, you made it sound like it was for _good_! And now he's _staring_… _Ooh _this is _embarrassing_! My stomach keeps _flipping_… I feel like I'm going to get _sick_…' "I-it's only for about a week. I'll see you when we get back!"

She grabbed Aiko's hand and dragged her along behind her as the younger girl mumbled about something she wasn't listening to.

Meanwhile, Baby was setting about covering Sasuke's legs in as much of her hair as she could, winding around his feet whilst he returned to his original task of hanging up his laundry.

* * *

After a day of walking, the girls had gotten a boat ride down a river a little ways out of Konoha that flowed down through the country of Fire, and using it, got to their old hometown by sundown the following day.

Getting back would be the actual challenge, of course.

Aiko and Ami gave their thanks to the boatman, bowing as they did, then made their way towards the entrance to the village.

As expected, a shinobi jumped down in front of them before they came within twenty feet of the gate.

"State your names and business." he demanded coldly.

Ami grinned as she recognized the fifteen year old blond. "Konno Ami and Aiko. Forgotten us already?" She pretended to pout. "I'm hurt, Hideki."

The blond's face brightened. "It's great to see you guys again! Sorry about the formalities."

"Nah, it's fine, you're just doing your job."

"Ami! Aiko! Oh my gosh! _Is that you?_"

The girls turned their heads towards the voice of a girl.

'Spotted already.' Ami thought, smiling as she looked at the black-haired girl standing in front of them, just beyond the gate. "Hi, Kohaku."

"I haven't seen you in _forever_!" the girl babbled as they made their way inside. "How have you both been?"

"Where's your grandmother?" Hideki piped up.

"Oh yeah! Where is Grandma?"

Aiko bowed her head and Ami stroked her hair.

They both understood the silence.

"Oh... I'm sorry… when…?"

"October." Ami answered quietly.

"Ah…"

There was a moment of silence, broken by Kohaku.

"I see you grew your hair long! It's nice!"

"Oh, yeah, I did. Thanks. So, Kohaku, you graduated? That's awesome! And Hideki, you became a Chuunin!"

The foursome beamed as all eyes turned on the boy's green Chuunin vest.

"Yup!" the blond grinned. "Right after you left, actually!"

"Aw, I missed the party!"

They laughed.

"You too!" Kohaku said, pointing to Ami's headband. "Still a Genin?"

"'Fraid so."

"Applying for Chuunin?"

"I dunno yet… I still have so much to work on!"

"Like your crappy divining?" the blond snickered, poking Ami's water canteen with a finger.

The brunette moved it away with a roll of her hips, frowning at the boy. "Shut up... you know I'm touchy about that. It's annoying."

Hideki snickered. "Oh, silly Ami… That's why I do it!"

Ami growled, but it only made the boy laugh. "Besides…" she muttered. "There's nothing I can do about my divining…"

"Yeah, you're stuck with it I guess. But at least you have good control. And you can use Tsukunaimen."

Ami pulled a face at the named ability's mention.

Hideki rolled his eyes. "Oh, grow up. It could save your life someday, you know! And it's powerful! I wish I had it!"

"That doesn't change the fact that it's disgusting…" she muttered bitterly, glancing at the strange line on her palm again.

"So… anything fun happen in Konoha?" Kohaku asked, trying to turn the conversation away from the unpleasant topic. "Any interesting stories to tell?"

Ami flicked back over the recent events in her mind of the past five months. Her new teammates, the bell test, Aiko threatening to pull down Sasuke's shorts, her first meeting with the Sasuke fangirls, Grandma's passing, Naruto's sexy jutsu, Baby, Naruto and Sasuke's accidental kiss in the classroom, her killing someone (Which she didn't plan on telling anyone anytime soon. Aiko didn't even know.) and many other random events passed through her mind, but the main thing was undoubtedly; 'I GOT A CRUSH ON UCHIHA SASUKE!' There was no way in hell that she was telling anybody that.

"Uh… Can I fill you in tomorrow?" she asked shyly, "I'd like to do something else first."

"Aw, it can wait I'm sure-" Hideki began, waving her off, until he felt Kohaku grab his arm and was met with a meaningful look. "Ah… okay…" he mumbled, catching the girl's drift.

Ami nodded then made her way towards the cemetery, Aiko following behind.

* * *

'Wow… This is nostalgic.' she thought, looking around the small village. Familiar people surrounded them, but every now and then, a new face popped up here and there. She recognized some old shops and saw some new, and random little pieces of the place that stuck out in her mind jumped out at her. Like the big, concrete wall with the spider-crack in the centre behind the grocery store, a tree with a strange, loopy branch, and a smiley face that someone had drawn onto the side of a house.

They slipped inside the graveyard, tombstones and statues surrounding them.

It took her a moment, but a quick look around jogged Ami's memory and she headed for their mother's grave.

It was tidy, the people who minded the graveyard having taken good care of it.

She and Aiko knelt down before it, looking at the photo of their mother from when she was alive and reading her name on the white marble.

_Konno Tsubame._

Ami read the message carved into the frosty rock, despite having read it thousands of times before.

_A daughter. _

_A wife._

_A mother._

_An angel._

She looked over at her younger sister, who was already praying. From the way she was clutching her hands until her knuckles whitened and looked ready to cry, it seemed as though she was begging for forgiveness.

She still thought her mother was angry with her for her birth being the reason she died.

"Aiko?" Ami asked quietly.

The green-eyed academy student looked at her.

"Are you aware of what your name means?"

Aiko wiped her eyes and shook her head.

"'Love child' or 'Beloved'. And you were given that name for a reason. Mom really did love you. She loved us all. In fact, that was that last thing she said. Right to the end, Mom was overjoyed that you were alright, even if she was dying. So don't send her those sorts of prayers. They'll make her sad. Tell her how you're feeling, the good things in your life, and any moments you want to share. That's what I do."

"…Alright." The younger girl said quietly, before returning to praying, this time seeming slightly more relaxed.

Ami clasped her hands and also began praying silently.

* * *

Later on, the girls left the graveyard and were currently hanging around with Kohaku and her grandmother, Kaede at Kohaku's house.

"Look at the state of these!" the old woman scolded, yanking on the tattered sleeve of Ami's T-shirt. "Just how long do you intend to wear these! Until they _fall off themselves!_"

"I'm short on money at the moment…" the brunette mumbled shyly.

"Aiko seems well dressed!"

"Yeah." Kohaku agreed, folding her arms.

"Aiko doesn't train as much as I do, and I'm more willing to spend money on her than myself."

"_You're coming with me._" Kohaku said firmly. "You're not walking around in _those_."

"I already told you, I've no money."

"You can pay me back later!" Kohaku said, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Come _on_."

* * *

They both walked about the shops, Aiko tagging along and toddling about the store as Ami warned Kohaku about what she didn't want.

"It can't get in the way of training."

"Yeah."

"I hate frills."

"Uh-huh."

"_Nothing here is any good!_" Kaede screeched, popping up behind the pair suddenly.

Ami stared at her, slightly startled. The last few months of living in Konoha had dulled her memories of Kaede's eccentricity.

"_You're coming with me!_" the hag crowed, grabbing the brunette's hand and yanking her out of the shop and towards her house, "_Give me your measurements!_"

* * *

Ami stood nervously on the floor with her arms out as Kaede measured her, mumbling to herself all the while, shooting questions in-between.

"What's your control range?"

"Nine metres."

"Not bad… What about divining?"

"Twenty metres."

"Far below average-"

Ami scowled.

"-but you can't do much about that… How's the climate where you live?"

"Warm, mostly."

"…What's your rank at the moment?"

"Genin."

"Applying for Chuunin?"

"Don't know yet."

"Do you stuff your bra?"

"…"

"For accurate measurements."

"…No."

"…Any boys you want to impress?"

"_What?_"

"I'll take that as a yes." Kaede said, then wolf-whistled, much to Ami's embarrassment.

"Is that question _really_ necessary?"

"I'm the one dressing you, so, yes."

"I… guess that's true…"

"Does he like you?"

"Ahh… umm… a little, I think…" she stuttered awkwardly. "More so than other girls anyway, though that's not saying much. He's not amazingly social, but he's nice... in his own way."

"Is he hot?"

"…You could say that…"

"Oh, so he's _gorgeous_, huh?"

No reply. Just a blush.

The old woman cackled, retracting her tape. "Leave it to me." she said, then slipped inside her room, shutting the door behind her.

Ami heard a sewing machine start up.

* * *

"Well? Pay me a compliment." the woman demanded.

Ami was stunned. Kaede had done an incredible job.

Her new clothes were perfect, both for her body and her techniques.

Her black T-shirt had been replaced with a blue halter-neck top tied with a white sash, and her shorts replaced with black three-quarter lengths. Underneath the top, she wore a tight white halterneck shirt instead of wrapping. She still wore blue sandals, but they had gotten a new pair before leaving the store, and her knife holster and weapon pouches, still in good condition, remained. Her water canteen had been changed, and now, rather than hanging over her shoulder on a cord, hung on a brown leather belt around her hips. Her hitae-ate was now tied at her waist, Kaede having changed and lengthened the blue fabric that held it, and black guards shielded her forearms.

Nothing would get in the way, she wouldn't have to try and awkwardly dry her back when she got wet, and it was easy to move.

"Thank you, Kaede." she said, awestruck. "I love it."

"Tie up your hair!" the senior shrilly demanded, shoving a white hair tie into her hands, and the girl obeyed, putting the brunette locks up into a high ponytail. "That cloth is fashionable, durable and lightweight, so you won't need to come back again for a while!"

"How much should I pay you?"

"Absolutely nothing!" the old woman grinned. "Provided you come back again the next time you need a change! You're an old friend, I love my work as a dressmaker, and I like treating you as a mannequin!"

The Konno grinned.

"Ami, you look so _cool_!" Kohaku squealed happily, Aiko bouncing up and down beside her.

Hideki popped up in the window. "Yo." he called. "Ami, nice threads."

"Thanks."

"_I MADE THEM!_" Kaede screeched.

Oh, yes, she had always been this batty. At least for as long as Ami had known her, anyway.

* * *

After a short while of catching up, in which Ami and Aiko told them some of the more innocent of events they had both experienced, being sure to leave out anything horrible, embarrassing or downright terrifying, and the following day, Ami talked to a few more old friends as Aiko stayed at Kaede's house being made a new dress, then left the village, knowing that if they stayed any longer, they wouldn't get back to Konoha in the time they had promised.

As they were leaving, Kaede gave Ami one last parting gift. A message, which she eloquently screeched across the village to her as she and Aiko were exiting the gate.

And so, the girls left, '_MAKE SURE YOU GET INTO THAT BOY'S PANTS!_' echoing in their ears.

Thankfully, Aiko didn't understand what the old woman was talking about.

Ami however, was publicly humiliated, and hoped that by the time they visited again, everyone would have forgotten the assertion.

She wasn't holding her breath, though.

* * *

The gates of the leaf village finally came into view and Ami sighed in relief.

She was currently piggybacking Aiko, her rucksack hanging off her front and feeling very tired.

They were a day later than they had said they would be, but the pair had tried their best.

* * *

They entered Konoha and she didn't miss the glares of several fangirls as she placed Aiko on the ground, who had no doubt considered her temporary leaving a holiday of sorts for themselves where they could stalk Sasuke all they wished. However, she also didn't miss the curious, and somewhat envious gazes of several, no doubt eying her new clothes, and allowed herself a grin as she and her sibling made their way towards Keijousai.

"Ami! Aiko!" a voice screeched, and the girls turned to meet Naruto, orange as ever, running towards them.

"Hi, Naruto." Aiko chirped, releasing her sister to hug the boy around his middle as Ami waved.

"You're back!" he grinned. "Ami, are those new clothes?"

She nodded.

The boy was jumping up and down, yelling, energetic and overexcited as always. "We had a mission today, but since you weren't here, we got Yamanaka Ino! You know her, she's the Sasuke fangirl with a flower shop! It was so annoying! Her and Sakura-chan kept falling all over Sasuke!" He was too busy ranting to notice Ami's cheeks colour. "I don't know why they like him so much! He's not that awesome! I-"

"Naruto?" Aiko piped up, "What does 'getting in someone's pants' mean?"

The blond gawked at her. "Why do you want to know that?" he asked, unsure of how to explain the term to a five year old when her ever-so-slightly overprotective older sister was standing right beside her.

Ami's face reddened and she went to tell Aiko to be quiet, but the girl started explaining before she could.

"At our old village, an old woman told Ami to get into a boy's pants. I don't know who she was talking about, but I want to know what she wants Ami to do."

Naruto gaped at the brunette, mouth opening and closing as he stared. "_Who do you like?_" he asked, shocked at the affair that Ami liked someone, curious being an understatement of his attitude towards the fact.

"_Sis likes someone!_" Aiko exclaimed, shocked.

Bystanders were beginning to stare and Ami blushed and covered her eyes with a palm.

"I-Is it _me?_" Naruto squawked.

"_No!_" she squeaked, "_It's not you! It's someone else!_"

The blond seemed slightly relieved. "Oh… good, because I like Sakura-chan."

Ami nodded wearily. "I'm well aware of that fact."

"I still don't know what it means." Aiko said, pouting.

"When you're older." Ami muttered. 'That idiotic old woman…'

"So who is it?" Naruto prodded.

Ami chewed her lip. "Not telling."

"What if I guess?"

"I'll probably lie."

"_Damn!_"

"Bye, then!" she called back as she ran towards the inn, Aiko following and waving goodbye to the orange-clad ninja.

* * *

Ami was currently using the stove to make something. And that something just so happened to be food.

No, she was not suddenly any good at cooking. Actually, Aiko had given her idiot-proof instructions and was currently watching on a chair beside her as she worked.

"Melt chocolate in a bowl over hot water…" Ami mumbled to herself, mixing a bowl on the stove filled with liquefying dark brown chunks. "There should be no lumps in the mix… and it should still be the same colour as it was originally." Out of pride, she refused to read the line Aiko had added in here aloud; 'I don't think you really should be able to make the chocolate actually change colour, but I wouldn't put it past you when it comes to cooking.'

"What's that?"

Ami jumped at the sudden voice behind her, almost dropping the plastic basin, but recognized the voice just in time to keep her elbow from rocketing up into the offender's jaw.

Anzu looked curiously at the pair of girls with inquiring, rum-coloured eyes, a red toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.

"Ami's making chocolate!" Aiko beamed.

"Oh, yeah, tomorrow's Valentine's Day!" Anzu said thoughtfully. "I should make some too!"

Ami recounted how many boxes she was making. The tenants were five, Aiko was six, Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were ten. However, even after asking everyone's preferences, all but Sasuke's were sweet, and of course, all but Sasuke's were Giri-chico. The one she was making for the raven-haired boy was a Honmei.

She'd never admit it, of course.

'Thank _God _I have the excuse of him being a teammate to give him some, and him not liking sweet things as an excuse to make his different.' she thought to herself. 'There's no way I'd have the guts to give him it otherwise. I'm such a coward when it comes to guys.'

She poured some of the mixture into moulds after coating the insides with a thin layer of chocolate to prevent bubbles (as directed by Aiko), and left it to set as she went onto the next step.

* * *

The following morning, Ami left five boxes of chocolate on the table, each with a note for one of each of the girls at the inn. She gave Aiko's in person before she left for her mission.

* * *

'I hope they like them…' she thought as she made her way towards the bridge. 'Especially Sasuke…'

With Aiko's close attention and direction, Ami had succeeded in making chocolate stars, eggs, balls, hearts and truffles for everyone.

She saw the raven, early as always, standing at the bridge, leaning up against the railing, a girl with chocolate already in front of him.

After taking a deep breath to try and calm herself (and failing miserably), she stepped towards the boy, trying to swallow her heart after it had leapt up into her throat at the mere _sight_ of him.

This was going to be a lot harder than Ami had hoped.

She suddenly felt awful for calling the girls on television cowards when they took ages to gather the guts to give their crush their Valentine's Day chocolate.

'I'm such a hypocrite…'

* * *

Sasuke sighed. Every year. Sweet chocolate. He _hated_ sweets, and yet every year, stupid fangirls bombarded him with it. It was the start of a long day for the Uchiha as he leant against the bridge while a girl with long black hair, brown eyes and glasses was stuttering to him about how much she liked him and wanting him to accept her gift and maybe go on a date with her, and he was wishing to be anywhere but there. After having stood there for the last five minutes, listening to her pointless rambling, Sasuke finally lost his patience and glared at the girl, silencing her instantly, and she squeaked in fear before scurrying off, whimpering her apologies.

A voice to his left caught his attention.

"Aah… Sasuke?"

He looked to see his brunette teammate, wearing an outfit he had never seen before. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

* * *

'Oh, yeah… he hasn't seen these yet.' she thought to herself, feeling her level of self-consciousness skyrocket. "Yeah… I… got these while I was away…" she mumbled shyly.

The boy surveyed her a moment, then grunted, turning his head away.

Ami reached into her brown shoulder bag and pulled out a light blue box, tied with white ribbon.

She pulled gently on Sasuke's sleeve and held the box out to him, looking down at her feet.

"Since we're teammates…" she mumbled quietly, mentally sighing in relief when after several seconds, she felt the chocolate lift from her palm and a small 'Thanks.' grunted in reply.

There was a silence as Sasuke placed the Valentine gift carefully into his backpack, in another compartment where it wouldn't be crushed.

* * *

A few minutes later, Naruto showed up, and was delighted to receive a box of Giri-choco from Ami, thanking her with a hug.

"Thanks, Ami!"

A shrill voice cut through the morning air like a knife.

"_Sasuke-kun!_"

The raven and brunette cringed as Naruto's brow furrowed.

Sakura smiled at Sasuke, before handing him a large, heart-shaped Valentine's Day chocolate wrapped in rosy foil and tied with a pink ribbon.

Sasuke internally rolled his eyes. It would be sweet, of course.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said happily as she shoved the chocolate into his arms. "Mine's Honmei-Choco!"

"I hope the bastard dies choking on it." Naruto grumbled sourly.

Sakura gave Ami a challenging look out of the corner of her eye.

The girl frowned.

It seemed as if the closer she got to Sasuke, the further she drifted from Sakura. Pretty soon, they'd be enemies again. She wasn't happy about that, but the pinkette was even more pig-headed than herself, so there really wasn't a whole lot that could be done.

The raven shoved Sakura's box carelessly into the same space as his other supplies. It didn't matter if it got crushed, there was no way he'd eat it, anyway. It would probably have some sort of pathetic love potion concoction mixed in with the chocolate that would do nothing more than make him feel sick if the sweetness didn't. He knew from previous missions that Sakura's cooking wasn't much. Neither was Ami's but he knew that she would more than likely have gotten help, as she was well aware of the fact that her culinary skills were useless, summed up her own comment of; 'If it's tangible, I'll find a way to burn it.'

That was something he liked about Ami. She was simple, but not simple-minded. She was straightforward and honest, and what you saw was what you got. She wouldn't pull tricks to manipulate someone, and genuinely cared about their feelings.

A girl had never actually taken the time to ask about his chocolate preference, rather than just assuming he would like what they did.

He smirked at the sight of her handing Sakura a box of chocolates, wishing the rosette a Happy Valentine's Day as Sakura babbled apologies for having nothing for her, Naruto wailing in disappointment as he realized, after several moments of thinking, that this meant he would be getting nothing from Sakura either.

He'd have to do something nice for White Day.

* * *

**To clear up any confusion; **

**Giri-choco is chocolate given to friends and family members.**

**Honmei-choco is chocolate given to crushes and lovers.**

**As for why the girls are the only ones giving chocolate, in Japanese tradition, on February fourteenth, the girls give chocolate, and on March fourteenth (also known as White Day), the guys return the favour.**

**By the way, when I upload stuff, if anything is in italics it screws everything up and huge chunks of the document end up in italics when editing on this. Is anyone else having this problem? :O It's really annoying.**

**So, yeah. Now Naruto knows, but he doesn't know, if that makes sense. XD Fun, fun, fun.**

**Please review. :)**


	15. Dancing, Blue Eyes and Droplets

**Sasuke may seem a little OOC in this one. I apologize for that. D: Or maybe not. It could probably be taken both ways. I don't know. It's late; 2:30 A.M. and I'm sleepy. **

**Yeah, since it's still summer, these updates are coming fast! Although I already had a chunk of this one written. Anyway, enjoy! :D**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Dancing, Blue Eyes and Droplets

* * *

'WOW.'

That was the first thing that came into Ami's mind as she stared at the person in front of her.

Long, chestnut hair, tied back in a loose ponytail that hung down a broad back, incredible, emerald eyes and a bright, warm smile that could make any girl melt. He was slim, yet muscular, and his skin was smooth and tanned. He stood before the Konohagakure ninja with his shirt slung over one shoulder.

In short, he was gorgeous.

"Hello. Are you the Konoha ninja who responded to this mission?"

His words flowed through the air like music and Ami almost cringed at the sound of Naruto's grating, prepubescent voice ringing through the air as he yelled; "That's us!" practically in her ear.

"Nice to meet you. I am Akira. You are?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" the blond yelled excitedly, pointing at the respective ninja as he introduced them, "That's Haruno Sakura, that's Uchiha Sasuke, that's Kakashi-sensei, and that's Konno Ami!"

"Which of you is the water user?" he asked politely.

"I-I am…" Ami jabbered, raising her hand, which Akira took and kissed.

"I'm glad that I get to have a girl as beautiful as yourself as my partner." he said smoothly to the scarlet-faced brunette.

The grin Sakura was wearing must have squinted her eyes so much she could barely see.

"What's your range, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Nine metres." Ami replied, trying not to stare at the handsome face before her, but still look him in the eye as she spoke.

"Excellent. I'm also nine, and my usual partner is seven, so you should be fine."

She nodded dumbly.

* * *

What had basically happened was this; Team seven had been hired for a C-rank mission in the water country.

Their sensei had chosen not to tell them the details until they got there, Kakashi's reasoning being that he hadn't wanted to have to listen to Ami complaining about being made a circus freak, as she has a special place in the mission, being made to fill in for a female performer in the water show who had broken her wrist. For this mission, she would be working with a male partner, Akira, who was also a water-user, but had decided to use it for entertainment rather than life as a shinobi. And, as they had just learned, Akira was also _very_ attractive.

* * *

"Will we get started, then?"

Another nod from the dumb girl as the charming boy led her away.

"Nami's mesmerized ." Sasuke commented bluntly. "She has that idiotic look in her eyes and her mouth is hanging open."

"Maybe she has a crush!" Sakura squealed excitedly. "That Akira guy is really nice, and good-looking, and polite… _oh_, but you're _still_ better, Sasuke-kun!"

The raven scoffed as he watched the entertainer explain to the girl about what they would be practising, what he would be teaching her, and what they would be rehearsing for the show in two weeks. "If she really has already gotten a crush on that guy, then she must be really shallow, because she barely knows him."

* * *

"Sasuke." Kakashi droned, never taking his eyes from his book as food was placed on the table in front of them. "Go tell Ami and Akira-san that it's time for supper."

"Make Naruto do it." the raven replied dully, not seeing why he should have to bother with the pair of water-users.

"Naruto will forget what he's doing on the way, and if he doesn't, he'll forget once he sees them practising." came the Jounin's boring response, ignoring said boy's indignant screech of denial.

Sasuke sat there a moment, trying to lock eyes with Kakashi to begin a staring contest, but the silver-haired man didn't even bother to look at him, so he grunted in annoyance and got up from the table.

Making his way out from the inside of the large tent they were staying in, he squinted slightly in the darkness, letting his eyes adjust a moment before continuing. He went towards the lake the pair were training beside, and was met with the sight of a shirtless Akira passing Ami a streamer of water, shining in the moonlight, which the brunette caught and twisted around her body in a spin. There was a look of strong determination and concentration on the girl's face, which he was pleased to see.

'Nami seems to have sobered up and she's actually focusing now.' "_Supper._" he called.

"Thank you, Sasuke." Akira replied, flashing the boy a pearly smile.

The raven frowned as he noticed Ami's concentration waver.

"Thanks, Sasuke." she said quietly.

"…hn." Sasuke replied, feeling slightly disappointed in the girl. He would admit Akira was good-looking-alright, he was _magnificent and charming-_but did all girls really have to act so weird and stupid around someone they liked? He wondered if boys were any different. Naruto acted like an idiot around Sakura, but Naruto acted like an idiot in general, so he was hardly a good example. 'Guess I'll just have to wait to see when it happens to me.' he thought, grimacing at the idea of himself acting so foolish. He turned and began striding towards the tent, when he heard Ami gasp loudly in surprise and span round to see the girl being supported by Akira.

"Careful." the leafy-eyed boy said gently, steadying the female brunette. "The ground is wet here, you almost slipped."

Even in the twilight, he could see Ami's face turn pink, and for some reason, found himself feeling furious as the girl mumbled her thanks shyly.

'She's just so useless it's irritating.' he rationalized, the anger calming slightly as Akira released her and she began walking by herself towards him and the tent.

* * *

'Damn it…' Ami thought, cursing herself and her reddening face. 'I'm so embarrassed… Sasuke just saw me nearly slip like an idiot, and now he's mad at me. My face is all red… I must look so_ stupid_.'

* * *

"You're doing very well, Ami." Akira commented as he watched her going through the dance steps of their performance routine.

They had first concentrated on the water movements, as they would be the fastest to get down, and had now moved onto the dancing section, which everyone was pleased to know, Ami was picking up rather quickly.

The girl smiled. "Thanks. Water and music all I'm really any good at. I can't cook, I can't draw, and I'm average at most other things."

Her weak divining senses kicked in, and she suddenly noticed Sasuke walking over and leaning against a tall oak tree behind them both.

"You make a great pair of circus freaks." the raven commented dryly.

Ami rolled her eyes in annoyance. 'What's his_ problem_?' "Sasuke, I have one week left to get this routine down. If you're only going to be a bother, then leave."

Sasuke glared at her and she glared right back. After several seconds he turned and left.

"Sorry about that, Akira." Ami sighed once the raven had reentered the tent, "He's so rude…"

The young circus star looked thoughtful. "Ami? What is your relationship with Sasuke?"

"My _what_?"

"I mean, what are you to him, and he to you?"

"Oh…" she thought a moment. "Well… teammates… I guess. We're kind of friends, but not really that close, or maybe we are… or not at all." She sighed. "I don't know… I went nuts when I thought he died and I was overjoyed when I found out he was alive and okay… but he drives me up the wall and I fight with him a bit, so I'm not really sure what to make of him."

"Why does he call you 'wave'?"

"He doesn't call me 'wave', he calls me 'average' just like he calls Naruto 'Dobe', 'dead last'. We hated each other at first sight, but then we made up and probably could have been okay friends, but… I don't know... It's a weird relationship."

"…do you hate him?"

"_No!_" she cried, "_I don't_, it's just… he drives me crazy, but I care about him."

"Do you love him?"

Ami felt her cheeks heat slightly and she got up to take a drink, not answering as she sipped from the plastic bottle.

"Ah… so that's how it is." Akira said calmly, an amused smile gracing his lips.

The brunette choked and spluttered as she inhaled the water she was trying to drink.

"Ask him out." Akira commanded.

"_I c-can't do th-that!_" she cried, coughing furiously.

"Why not?"

"I…" She wiped the water from her mouth as her coughing stopped. Her voice dropped to a whisper and Akira lowered his head so that she could speak in his ear. "I _do _like him, but I doubt he feels the same…"

"Have you tried asking him?"

"_No!_"

"Then how do you know?"

Ami wasn't sure what to say to that. "I… just can't ask him." 'I probably look like a tomato by now.' she thought miserably, then remembered something. 'Sasuke likes tomatoes. _Why the hell do I know that useless scrap of information?_ He doesn't like sweets or natto either… _why do I know that too?_'

The fruit's shade was put to shame.

"He… he wouldn't ever like someone like me." she mumbled sadly.

"What makes you think that?" Akira asked calmly.

The girl sighed in annoyance. "_Okay. _Let's see. I'm an average ninja whilst he's _amazing at everything_. As I've already stated, I can't cook _at all_. I'm average in terms of looks. I have the dark skin of a _peasant_. I have a _stupid-looking birthmark_ in a _stupid place_. I'm _flat-chested_ and what guy likes _that_? Never mind someone like _Sasuke_!"

"My girlfriend's flat-chested and I don't mind."

Ami stalled. "Huh?" '_Girlfriend?_'

"She's flat. I don't care. Nothing gets in the way when we hug." He smiled at the last part.

"I… _really?_" 'Alright, with his looks it's not unexpected that he has one. I like Sasuke anyway, so it doesn't really matter to me.'

"Yeah. She has a red birthmark on her face too. It looks like a star and it's right here." he pointed just below his left eye with a finger. "It's about the size of a penny and I love it."

Ami gaped as Akira beamed at the mere_ thought_ of his girlfriend. '_I'm not telling him about my mark._'

"As for being a ninja, I think you're excellent. Sasuke is clearly a prodigy of sorts, and if he really does expect another prodigy, which I highly doubt, he'll be dead before he finds one. If he can cook, your skills don't matter much. I think you have a perfectly nice face, and honestly, who cares about dark skin? I have dark skin."

"It's_ different _for girls." she mumbled.

"There are plenty of tanned girls. Many are beautiful." He got to his feet and patted Ami gently on the head, smiling. "You're one of them."

She blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"I'm sure that whoever does ever get a chance with someone like you will be a very lucky person." He leant in to whisper in her ear. "Including Sasuke. I think you should go for it."

Ami wasn't sure what to say. "I…"

"Do you want to think about this for a while?"

'_No, I want to cut this to bits, burn it, and bury the ashes six feet under the ground!_' the girl thought furiously, but nodded silently.

"Go on, then. We've had enough practise for today, and even if we were to stretch it, you wouldn't get anything done with that on your mind."

Her face changed from pink to red.

Sakura walked in and Ami flinched. '_Crap! How much did she hear!_"

Apparently, none.

"Ami, Akira." she blushed slightly as she said the boy's name. "Dinner's ready."

"Thanks." the girl mumbled, not missing that Sakura was staring at her red face, and went to walk towards the girl when she was stopped.

"Ami." Akira said, holding her hand.

She turned to look at him and blazed scarlet when her gently cupped her face, his own inches away.

"I want that answer before you leave." he said, the words flowing like silk from his lips.

The brunette girl nodded dumbly.

"_What happened?_" Sakura whispered excitedly.

Ami just shook her head, face burning.

* * *

The silver moonlight shone down onto the stage outside, the glittering lake moving behind it and awaiting audience in front.

"This'll be fun to watch!" Naruto squawked happily.

Sakura agreed with him as Sasuke gave an apathetic grunt.

"Ah, they're here." Kakashi said, lowering his book.

Akira stepped onto the left side of the stage, Ami walking on from the right. Both were dressed in attractive but practical garb for the performance. Akira was dressed in cobalt trousers with a black vest. Ami wore a blue, layered skirt that came to just above her knees, black tights and a black vest. Her hair was up in a ponytail with a blue, ornamented clip. Both performers wore black, hard-soled sandals.

A loud beating of drums ensued, the men at the sides of the stage striking the skin atop the instruments with their hands as the two water users began the performance, stepping firmly and steadily in time with the tempo, across the wood out into centre-stage. The pair then switched to a dance with quick feet movements, which increased in speed and versatility as the pace of the drums sped up. The duo were soon dancing with rapid leg movements, feet moving swiftly against the wooden floor, shoes making clacking noises that added to the volume of the music. They momentarily stopped to plunge their hands into two basins of water beside them both, pumping Chakra into them then lifting the liquid up into the air, then began dancing once again, stepping back into the music at a particularly loud bang on the drums, hitting the stage with a particularly loud slap from their shoes. The water swept around them as they continued to dance, feet stepping rapidly to the drums whilst their arms controlled the water.

Each performer's fluid split into three, forming balls that rotated speedily around their heads as they continued stomping and stepping, then twisted into long cords that they passed from each other, unbeknownst to the crowd, infusing their Chakra in the other's solution, effectively sharing the water and making it all controllable for each of them, rather than just their own part.

"They're amazing!" Naruto cried, watching in wonder as his friend and the circus star danced on stage, water shooting through the air, shining in the moonlight as the percussion instruments heightened in volume with louder, harder strikes.

'Nami's going to fall.' Sasuke thought, folding his arms. 'There's no way she'll be able to keep up that pace without tripping.'

She proved him wrong.

Several moments later, the girl was doing a solo five minutes into the performance at the climax of the music, Akira's having taken place moments before, and as her feet twisted around each other, kicked high in the air and across her legs, shoes banging the floor and spinning rapidly, moving water above her head in elaborate forms all the while, it became very clear that she knew exactly what she was doing.

The movements grew more intense.

Akira sent a rope of water racing towards Ami and she seemed to grab it in her fist, before being yanked towards the boy, who threw the liquid up in the air then caught and held her in his arms, pushing her back onto her feet as the aqua fell back to earth, passing it to her in a long cord as it came. Ami span, twisting the fluid around herself in a long spiral, then passed it to Akira as he came towards her. The two danced whilst moving the spiral around both of them, their feet constantly moving in the way of each other's steps and jerking away just before their partner's hard shoes were brought slamming down on top of them. They linked arms, pirouetting in the centre of the stage, both with an arm extended to move the water, which was now sweeping in two thick ribbons about them. Coalescing into a single body around them, the water rose high into the air as they continued dancing, now facing the crowd. With a synchronised hand seal by the duo, it morphed into the shape of a dragon.

The dragon raised its head with an incredible volume of the drums as if to roar, shining and suspended in the cool night air. The entire body of the creature rippled slightly, then exploded into millions of droplets, hanging motionless in the air like a thousand jewels, the stars and moonlight reflected in every one. The banging shoes halted as Ami and Akira stood atop the stage, arms outstretched, holding the clear, shining beads perfectly still as the drums ceased.

The crowd erupted in huge applause, including Sakura and Naruto, who were screaming praise and whistling. Kakashi was smiling under the black cloth covering his face and clapping, beside Sasuke, who wore a grudgingly impressed expression, arms crossed.

Unfolding the limbs, he reached out to touch one of the droplets, but was disappointed when it was swept away as the duo moved their arms in perfect sync, pulling the water back and depositing it into the basins beside them.

The pair bowed deeply and made their way offstage, the onlooking spectators still clapping and screaming.

* * *

"AMI, THAT WAS _AWESOME_!" Naruto bellowed as he bounded into Ami's changing room, the door unlocked.

The girl sat on a chair, once again wearing her ninja gear. Her face was slightly flushed as she grinned at the blond.

"Yeah! It was really cool!" Sakura agreed.

"You were excellent." Akira said, smiling as he following the other two and shook her hand. "Don't you agree, Sasuke?" he asked, turning to face the raven-haired boy.

Sasuke gave the male circus star a hard stare, then turned on his heel and strode out the tent entrance.

'What's up with him?' Ami wondered, "Sorry guys, give me a moment." She said, running out after the boy.

"Sasuke?" she questioned, confused and slightly weary at the aura coming from the raven as she approached him, leaning against the large oak tree and glaring out at the lake.

"_What?_" came the acid-drenched reply.

Ami couldn't help it. She was seriously annoyed. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded. "You've had a stick wedged up your ass this _entire mission!_"

'Have I?' the boy pondered. He was silent a moment as he considered that statement, then grunted, not bothering to give a proper response.

"_What's wrong with you?_" she complained.

"Why don't you go have fun with _Akira_?" the raven spat. 'Oh, wow. Where did that come from? Oh yeah. Because she's stupid, decided to get a crush on a guy she barely knows because he's handsome and after her practising a circus routine with him for two weeks then performing it well she's deluded herself into thinking that she's special to him. The _idiot_.'

The brunette was infuriated with the boy. Whether she liked him or not, he couldn't just be an_ asshole_ to her for no reason. "_What do you mean by that?_" she asked icily.

Sasuke resisted the urge to shiver at the sudden chill in her tone. "You girls are all the same." he spat, trying to cover his discomfort with a mask of arrogance, "You see a pretty face and you drool and giggle and blush like idiots."

"Since when do I drool?" Ami growled. "Besides, you think I want to act _stupid _in front of someone I like?"

"So you admit you like him?" Sasuke demanded coldly, eyes narrowing. "And you admit that you act like a _moronic fangirl_ in front of him?"

Ami lost it. She marched right up to Sasuke and slapped him across the face.

Hard.

He fell over.

Sasuke clutched his cheek in shock. His female teammate had just slapped him like a girl.

And it had _hurt!_

She grabbed the boy by his blue shirt and wrenched him from the ground, lifting him to his feet and slamming him against the tree.

It was then he realized that despite her new outfit being sleeveless, he had neglected to notice that Ami, unlike most female kunoichi his age, actually worked out and had muscles to prove it. She wasn't outstandingly muscular, and there definitely weren't any bulging veins (excluding the one throbbing in her temple), by any means, but she was a damn sight stronger than he had thought she would be. He now realized how she had managed to crack that tree bark on her first day at the academy. It hadn't been a huge tree, but it had been impressive nonetheless.

Leaning in close to his face in a _very_ threatening fashion, she snarled, face inches from his own; "Number one. I _never _said that I _liked Akira_. Number two. Don't you _dare_ _ever_ group me together with those girls that follow you around like _stink on shit._ I'm better than that, and don't you _ever_ forget it."

Sasuke swallowed. He had never seen her eyes like that before. So full of anger and… what? He couldn't place it. It almost seemed as though… she was pleading for him to understand her. And her eyes that close to his own… it was as if she was trying to show him what was inside her soul. She was trying to express something…

"Hello, there."

The pair of Genin looked round to see Akira waving at them, holding hands with a girl.

The wrist of the hand she wasn't using was heavily bandaged. She was a rather pretty girl, despite the star-shaped birthmark beneath her left eye, and had long, silvery-blond hair and ice-blue eyes.

Oh. Akira hadn't been lying. She was flat.

Ami's jaw dropped. Not that it was surprising.

In the last second, she had learned that not only had Akira just watched her giving out shit of epic proportions to Sasuke, he had done so with his previously-mentioned girlfriend beside him.

"Are we interrupting something?" the girl asked shyly.

Her voice rang like a bell through the night air.

Ami and Sasuke gawked at the couple before them.

It was then she realized that they had just been staring at each other, faces inches apart, and she still had the raven up against the tree, her hands clutching his shirt.

'Holy shit.'

Akira's grin was _massive_. It was clear what his expression was saying; 'Looks like I got my answer, huh?'

Ami's face blazed crimson, and even after the misunderstanding was_ supposedly_ cleared up, Akira still bore a broad smile.

* * *

The Konoha Genin and their sensei sat in the back of a cart they shared with several milk urns, hitching a lift back part of the way to Konoha.

Ami tugged lightly on Sasuke's sleeve and tried to ignore Sakura's curious, or rather, _nosy_ stare.

The boy leaned over slightly, understanding what she wanted, and as expected, Ami whispered in his ear.

"I just wanted to apologize." she said shyly, "I said some mean things to you and… I regret them. Sorry."

Sasuke nodded stiffly, then answered sheepishly in the same secretive fashion, "I was rude as well, so I apologize too."

Ami allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "Apology accepted."

"…hn."

The brunette was dancing and grinning on the inside, overjoyed that she had managed to patch things up with Sasuke. Then she suddenly remembered something from during the performance.

She placed a hand onto her canteen and flipped open the lid, pulling out a small amount of water that she then formed into a mini dragon.

Nudging Sasuke with an elbow, she caught the boy's attention, then did a miniature replica of the finale in the water show.

Sasuke's eyebrows raised in surprise, but at a silent gesture from Ami, understood why she was doing this.

She had noticed him trying to touch the drops in the show yesterday, and since he hadn't gotten to, she was giving him the chance now.

The raven brushed his fingers against a droplet hanging in front of his face and smiled slightly, feeling a bit like a child.

There were no teeth in the expression, just a slight upturning of the corners of his mouth and a flicker of simple merriment in the dark eyes. Nevertheless, Ami couldn't help the happy balloon inflating inside her, butterflies fluttering around it, battling for space.

Things were looking up.

* * *

Ami hung her feet over the edge of the bridge they always met at. Today, they were supposed to be meeting at one to head off for a day off to help out at a bookstore, so there was no need to get up early. She had had a lovely lie-in, eaten her breakfast, gotten ready, and as she had nothing else to do, came down to the bridge to find… no one. Not as if that was surprising.

Whether their sensei was always really late, or just always told them the time three hours early for a laugh, just to see how long they would believe him for, she didn't know. Either way, she had somewhat accepted the Jounin's repeated tardiness.

Sasuke would probably show up a few minutes later, Sakura after that having taken longer to preen herself as much as possible, Naruto about five minutes before Kakashi. She would probably follow Naruto's example, but it had become a habit of sorts for her to soothe Sasuke's squeal-induced headache in the mornings.

For a while, she amused herself by pondering whether her role was closer to that of repellent or asprin.

"Nami?"

The brunette looked up to see her crush, and felt her stomach flip.

"Yeah?"

The raven opened his mouth but was interrupted by a high-pitched voice.

"_Good morning, Sasuke-kun!_"

He sighed slightly in annoyance. "Sakura, leave us alone."

''Us'?' Ami contemplated curiously. 'Why is it 'leave _us_ alone' and not '_me _alone'?'

"Oh, don't worry, Sasuke-kun." the pink-haired girl said sweetly, although giving Ami a suspicious and somewhat threatening look, "Anything you can say to her you can say in front of me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Ami tried to ignore the green orbs boring into the side of her head.

"Nami."

"Ah. Yes? What is it?" she asked, trying to ignore the urge to run away as fast as possible to quell the flipping in her gut.

"There's a film I want to see and I don't want to be bothered at it, so you're coming with me." He handed her a small card. "I've already paid for your ticket. Consider that my gift."

With that said and the object delivered, he turned on his heel and strode away, deciding not to bother with the three-hour wait, hands shoved in his pockets.

Sakura gaped in horror at Ami as she stared in shock at the ticket in her hand.

"_OMIGOD, AMI, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU , I HATE YOUUU!_"

'… did he just ask me out?'

* * *

**I believe so. :3 **

**And, yes, you will find out about that birthmark eventually. :P :D**


	16. Gossip, Popcorn and Spiders

**I hope you like this chapter! :D Nana-nana-nana-nana-nana-nana-nana-nana, CATMAN! I hope I kept them fairly in-character. **

**By the way, on the seventh of August, I'll be going away for four days, and won't be back until the tenth of August. I'm not allowed to bring my laptop, so unfortunately, I won't be able to work on the story during that time. I'll do my best to get another chapter up before I leave, but I can't promise anything.**

**On a side note; This trip is going to be boring as hell. I am not looking forward to it. DX**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Gossip, Popcorn and Spiders

* * *

Ami sifted through her wardrobe for a nice outfit, more than slightly flustered; absolutely terrified and shaking with nerves.

'GYAH~! What should I wear…? Is this a date? Or is it just as friends? Or maybe it's not even that. Maybe I'm just repellent… I'll just savour the fact that I'm going to a movie with Sasuke!'

After much worrying and thinking, she finally chose her outfit; a tartan skirt of various browns, beige boots, and a long-sleeved, white T-shirt.

Simple, but attractive. And suitable whether it was as friends or a date.

She hoped to figure out which they were doing along the way.

* * *

Ami caught sight of Sasuke, who was waiting outside the cinema, arms folded, dressed in green combat pants and a black hoodie with black sandals. He was eyeing Baby, who was staring up at him with wide, blue eyes.

She went over, smiling to herself at the sight of the boy.

Sasuke picked up on her arrival and looked over at her, then turned back to the cat and growled. "Go home." he ordered the spiky-haired animal.

Baby simply sat there a moment, then looked over at Ami, then back at Sasuke. If a cat could raise an eyebrow, then that would be the expression she made at the boy. She then turned and strode off, tail in the air.

Sasuke glared after the black creature, then turned slightly towards Ami, the side of his face in her line of view. "So you came."

His comment confused the girl. "Why wouldn't I?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Am I late?"

The raven shook his head slightly. "Forget it. Anyway, there's a bit of time before the movie starts. Let's go get something."

* * *

The pair sat in a tea shop, sipping their drinks, Sasuke scowling slightly as Ami tried to ignore the glares the girls and women were giving her, muttering and whispering to each other as if she couldn't hear them.

"I _can't believe_ that _bitch_."

"That guy is so _cute_!"

"What's he doing with _her_, though?"

"_Yeah_, she's not much to look at."

Ami clenched her hands under the table, trying to blink back the tears coming up in her eyes as Sasuke's hand tightened on his drink. She knew they were just nasty gossiping women, but what they were saying hurt. She could barely believe it herself. She didn't need _their_ skepticism.

"They don't match each other _at all_! Just look at her skin!"

"But he looks like high-class stock!"

"It's probably a pity date."

"Yeah, no way he'd willingly go out with someone like _that_."

"She'll _definitely_ get dumped."

"Just look at his scowl. He hates being anywhere _near_ her."

Ami's shoulders shook, but she refused to let out the tears.

Suddenly, Sasuke released his glass and leant back in his chair, arms folded, speaking loudly and clearly.

"You know something, Ami?" he asked the brunette, glaring at the other females in the shop. "I'm _so glad_ that you aren't a gossipy bitch. I hate those kinds of people."

The whispers and glares started to fade as soon as the boy began speaking, and had stopped long before he had finished.

Ami felt her unease slowly seep away with the boy's words and she slowly unclenched her hands.

"…thank you." she mumbled shyly, unclenching her hands.

The raven grunted.

'Damn it…' the brunette thought, cursing herself. 'If Sasuke really _does_ bring you along for fangirl defense, at least do your job _properly_!'

* * *

The lights went out and they got settled somewhere around the middle of the chairs as the advertisements started. Ami tuned out. Whether it was a trailer for an upcoming film or a warning about pirating, she never paid attention to the screen until the movie started. She always opted instead to stare at the backs of the heads of people in front, although right now, she had something much more interesting to look at.

Sasuke.

She tried not to stare though, and covered it up by asking him questions about the film, looking at him all the while, and even when she wasn't staring, just his presence was making her awareness spike.

Why, even in the dark, was he so damn hypnotizing to her?

* * *

Finally, after several minutes of adverts, the film finally began, with the Walt Disney castle popping up on screen, the familiar little white light moving in an arc over it.

Then, the screen went a light blue with PIXAR in black across it, and a desk lamp came hopping along, jumped on top of the 'I' until it sank into the ground, then looked towards the audience, taking the letter's place.

Ami smiled.

She'd always liked that lamp.

An undersea view of the open ocean filled the screen, and a man's voice was heard.

"Wow."

Then a woman's.

"Mmm."

"Wow."

"Mmm, hmm."

"_Wow._"

"_Yes, Marlin, _I-no, I see it. It's _beautiful._"

A coral reef and two clownfish poking out of a pink anemone came into view.

The man sounded smug. "So Coral, when you said you wanted an ocean view, you didn't think you were gonna get the _whole ocean_, did you? _Huh?_"

Ami smiled, admiring the colours and animation as the male clownfish swam out into the open water as the female remained in the coral, took a deep inhale, then exhaled heavily, clearly content.

"Oh, yeah." he said, "A fish can _breathe_ out here. Did your man deliver, or did he deliver?"

"My man delivered."

"And it wasn't easy." Marlin said, swimming back to his partner.

Coral smiled, looking up to heaven as she said knowingly; "Because a lot of other clownfish had their eyes on this place."

"You better believe they did. _Every single one _of them."

Ami smiled as she watched Coral pull Marlin along as they swam up over their home and looked out at their happy, new neighborhood. 'It doesn't seem like a romance.' she thought. 'I'm glad. They're always so soppy and clearly aimed at the typical fangirl.'

Yes, although she admitted herself to be a fan of the raven, she preferred to only consider the scary girls who liked Sasuke and shoved it mercilessly in his face, slobbering all over him, to be _true _fangirls.

'At least the ones Kohaku made me watch were like that. Come to think of it, Sasuke seems like the kind of person who would rather bang his head off the seats in front of him than watch a romance film. This seems like a cute family film. Does Sasuke like these? He _did_ say he wanted to revive his clan, didn't he? I never really thought of him as the fatherly type, but who knows?'

She tried to imagine Sasuke saying the things the delighted male clownfish was saying as Coral asked him if they really needed as much space as they had, the delighted, as she now knew, father, going on animatedly about how their kids deserved the best and in a place like this could wake up to a whale outside their bedroom, before being hushed by his wife that he would wake the kids. They both swam down to dote on their offspring, still eggs, in a nestled in a hollow below, apparently dreaming.

She smiled as when the wife mentioned naming, he quickly decided on one half being named after himself, and the other after his wife.

"I like _'Nemo'_."

"'Nemo'?" Marlin echoed, drifting back down beside her. "Well, we can name _one_ 'Nemo', but I'd like most of them to be 'Marlin Junior'."

The female squealed excitedly at the thought of them being parents, then rolled her eyes as her husband asked her; "What if they don't like me?" and swam into the house as she told him that with there being over four-hundred eggs, one of them was bound to like him.

'I wouldn't like him if he named _me_ 'Marlin Junior'.' Ami couldn't help thinking, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

Marlin gazed lovingly at his wife, then proceeded to chase her around the house, shouting about how '_Cutie's here!_' like a typical pair of newlyweds.

They exited the house and Coral froze, Marlin pondering the sudden emptiness of the reef, then turning and with a feeling as though he had been dunked in a bucket of icy water, understood.

A huge, silvery fish with razor sharp teeth and a black arrow pattern on its sides was staring them down.

Marlin ordered her in a hushed voice to get inside the house, but it was pointless. Her eyes flicked down towards the orange eggs and it was clear she wasn't leaving them. Marlin commanded her to hide again, but she dived and the gray fish shot for her.

Marlin darted at the beast and tried to stop it, but at not even a twentieth of its size, stood no chance as he just barely avoided being bitten in half before being smacked with its tail and knocked unconscious.

The screen went black.

Ami felt tears in her eyes as she and Sasuke watched him wake up. It was dark now, so several hours at least had clearly passed in the film. He began frantically searching for his wife, calling her name and swimming about, only to find no sign of her, and all of their eggs gone. She was a softy when it came to these things, and doubted that would ever change.

Marlin started to cry, then gasped in amazement as he found a single orange bead. Swimming down, he picked it up, soothing the unborn baby inside, then turned it over to see a small crack in the side.

"It's okay." he whispered, "I promise, I will never let anything happen to you, Nemo."

The title; 'Finding Nemo', came up onscreen, the background behind it being a sunny, daytime view of the sea, looking up towards the sky, bright coral reef poking out around the edges, and Ami allowed herself to drift away slightly into the story of the film, Marlin getting jumped on by his son, Nemo, screaming excitedly about it being the first day of school, and what followed, Marlin's overprotective treatment of Nemo, a singing ray, and of course, the main plot points of the story, Nemo being taken away by a scuba diver, Marlin meeting a blue tang fish with short-term memory loss called 'Dory', and their quest to get Nemo back. The other three-quarters of her awareness was on Sasuke.

It wasn't that the film was uninteresting, it was just that… Sasuke was so much more interesting. She did her best not to stare at him, wondering for a while if in the darkness she could get away with it, but eventually dropped the idea.

However, after about twenty minutes into the film, she glanced over at the boy and saw that his mouth was hanging open slightly as he stared at the screen, either utterly engrossed or in very deep thought.

In a mischievous mood, Ami picked up a piece of popcorn from inside her box and popped it between the raven's parted lips. The boy's eyes widened in surprise and he grabbed the hand out of reflex, jerking his head around to face her, other arm up in a guard position.

She was slightly startled by the sudden grip on her wrist, but couldn't help but grin at the shocked look on Sasuke's usually impassive face.

"Sorry." Ami said, unable to keep herself from smiling. "It was only a joke."

The boy released her arm with a slightly abashed expression and looked back at the film, seeming a little ruffled.

Ami followed suit and saw that there was now a shoal of fish giving Marlin and Dory directions to the East Australian Current, forming themselves into numerous shapes.

She absent-mindedly thought to herself that after learning what she had in the circus mission, she could probably do something similar with water and made a mental note to try it later.

* * *

The duo were inside a whale after asking for directions, Marlin completely freaking out as Dory enjoyed the currents inside his mouth like the carefree spirit they had learned she was.

Ami chanced a glance over at the boy, and saw that he seemed absorbed in the film, paying her no heed. Maybe he really did just want to see it.

It was then that Ami became aware of a pair of eyes burning into the back of her head.

Slowly, almost afraid of what she would find herself facing, Ami turned around to face a green-haired girl with a poorly-cut fringe and a large mole on one cheek sitting two seats back and glaring at her as if wanting to rip off her head. As she turned around, Ami instantly felt the hostility in the air heighten as her face was recognized by several more Sasuke fangirls. She turned back to face the film, but was finding it difficult to enjoy with the uneasy atmosphere.

Finally, rather than ignoring them, she lost patience and flicked her head round to glared fiercely at the girl before her.

Gray eyes widened and the fangirl sank back as the other glares also ceased with an icy stare of the Konno's own style.

She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down so that in case the raven beside her looked over, he wouldn't see her looking angry as hell, when a voice whispered in her ear.

"Nice job."

So he had noticed the hostile gazes as well, she realized. She grinned proudly. "Thanks." the considered the next thing she thought of before saying; "What do you say we _really_ give them something to glare at?"

Sasuke, not quite following, urged her to continue. "Go on." he replied quietly, and Ami proceeded to lift up his arm and drape it around her shoulder.

Ami looked at Sasuke, checking for consent, and danced in her head, but only smiled on the outside when the raven first raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, then shrugged slightly, signaling that it was okay with him.

Ami still didn't know whether it was a date or not, but either way, she grinned like an idiot and pushed up the moveable armrest between them, leaning into the boy contentedly as she heard a fangirl begin to make choking sounds behind them.

'Enjoy your popcorn, _bitch_.'

* * *

The pair watched the rest of the film with no more troubles, which needless to say, both were delighted with.

Ami had decided to stay leaning against Sasuke's chest, not as if that were any surprise, taking in the feel of his torso, smell of his skin and clothes, and sound of his heartbeat as she did.

She knew that some people said movies as a first date (if this was a date) were a bad idea, as you couldn't talk or get to know each other much during a film, but that didn't matter with them. She already knew Sasuke. They were teammates.

Sasuke wasn't talkative anyway, and boring, awkward chatter always somewhat annoyed the brunette. What she needed at the moment was to get used to being around Sasuke and gain some kind of control over her feelings. A film was the perfect distraction from the awkward sensations, and spending over an hour with him in those circumstances had helped a lot with easing her into his presence.

* * *

The film finished and she pouted slightly as the lights came on and she had no choice but to straighten up. At least it had been a good film with a nice ending, anyway.

"That was good." Sasuke commented as they exited the dark room and were hit with the scent of salty kernels again.

Ami grinned, tossing her empty box into the bin, Sasuke following suit as they exited the cinema. "Yeah, it was. I liked Dory speaking whale."

"I liked the turtles."

She chuckled. "Yeah, they were funny!"

"The pictures were pleasant to the eyes as well."

"Un. They really showed them off on the way to the drop off."

"What was that pink thing?"

"The pink thing that was rippling near the drop off?"

"Hn."

"…dunno. Maybe a… well, I have no idea, to be honest."

* * *

Ami had expected the Uchiha to leave her when they were supposed to go their separate ways towards their individual homes, but was surprised when Sasuke stayed with her until they got to the bottom of Keijousai steps, and astonished when he accompanied her all the way to the front door.

Just what _was _this meeting?

She turned and spoke to the boy.

"Thanks for bringing me, Sasuke." Ami said smiling. "I had fun."

"…Hn."

The brunette went to open the door, but the raven grabbed her wrist.

Quite roughly, actually.

She winced and he loosened his grip, mumbling apologies.

"I'm fine." she said, not missing that with the appendages so close, they were almost holding hands, which caused a huge explosion of butterflies. "What is it?"

The boy stared at her a moment, then leaned in slightly, then hesitated, seeming as though he were thinking carefully.

Ami couldn't move. She was too shocked. Thoughts ricocheted about inside her head.

'_Is he going to kiss me? NO WAY! But he's so close! I could probably kiss him if I leant in a bit! WAIT, is it bad to kiss on the first date? Will that make me easy? OH. MY. GOD. HE IS SO CLOSE!_'

Then, to her mixture of surprise, relief and disappointment, Sasuke, seeming to reconsider, pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and leant back, moving his face away from hers and releasing her.

"There was… hair in your face." he muttered. "It was annoying."

Then, without another word, he turned and left, hands shoved in his pockets, leaving behind a stunned girl with a scarlet face.

* * *

'I guess… this _was_ a date, after all.' she thought, closing her bedroom door behind herself.

A blush spread across Ami's face. She couldn't help it. She covered her face with a pillow and squealed excitedly into it.

He hadn't kissed her, but they had gone on a date, she had enjoyed it, and was pretty sure Sasuke had had a good time as well.

She danced around her room, knowing that since it was still daytime, there would be nobody woken up, and noise wouldn't be unusual.

Then, after noticing a rather large spider on the wall, in her joyous mood, the girl chose to catch the creature in a glass and release it outside, rather than just squish it with the swatter and wipe it off the wall with a tissue or damp cloth like she normally would.

* * *

"You're a lucky little fellow," she said, placing the arachnid onto the ground outside with a grin. "You were in just the right time and place, you know that?"

"Talking to spiders? Someone's happy."

Ami looked up and was met with the sight of Haruka.

"Hello!" the jocund brunette chimed happily.

The female ANBU rose an eyebrow. "So, what's the story?"

Ami's expression faltered a moment. 'If I tell her, it could get spread around and end up sounding like I was boasting. Sasuke wouldn't like a blabbermouth. I'll leave that to the fangirls.'

"Sorry, Haruka." she said sheepishly, "I can't tell you yet."

The raven-haired woman frowned. "No fair."

Ami grinned apologetically.

She then picked up on something she hadn't thought of earlier;

Her have gone out with Sasuke would have made her the _antichrist_ to the fangirls, meaning things were going to get _a lot_ harder from now on.

Oh hell.

She was _not_ looking forward to Sakura's vengeance.

* * *

'Damn it…'

Ever since the fangirls had found out that Sasuke and she had gone on a date, just going to the shops had become a mammoth hassle.

It had only been a _day_, and yet, _everyone_ seemed to know.

Currently, a girl who was actually fairly attractive with long, blond hair and brown eyes was glaring at Ami with their faces inches apart, growling as she spoke, her friends gathered behind her, some better looking, but still bitchy admirers.

"Get _away_ from _Sasuke-kun_." the girl growled. "Or you'll be _sorry_."

Ami sighed. At first it had been slightly worrying, but now, it was just irritating. She knew that the girls wouldn't touch her, lest their 'beloved Sasuke-kun' as they called him, were to find out. His fans, or stalkers, whatever you want to call them, were all well aware of the fact that Sasuke was by no means stupid, and that Ami wouldn't hesitate to tell him if she was being bothered by someone, _especially_ fangirls.

Sakura had been a delicate situation, as she was one of Ami's closest friends and a teammate, but also one of Sasuke's biggest fans.

She had taken it better than Ami had hoped she would, although that was hardly saying much as 'better than she had hoped she would' simply involved neither of them dying.

At the moment, Sakura still refused to speak to her.

Ami's face began to change from an expression of exasperation to one of anger and annoyance towards the blonde before her.

"Sasuke can do so much better than someone like_ you_!" the girl spat.

"Any suggestions?" Ami droned her reply.

"Uh, the person in front of you?" the girl said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

It was obvious she thought so, anyway.

Ami simply rolled her eyes.

The blond screeched something indecipherable into Ami's face, and went to deck her.

Ami knocked the punch she threw away easily, and at the same time, attacked.

Steadily, over the past few months, the fangirls' fear of the brunette had dropped by a considerable amount.

However, with a high kick to the face, Ami's influence was restored.

The others gasped at the fate their friend had met and didn't dare to move.

The girls hesitated a moment, then rushed forward for their pack leader, lifting her from the ground.

"Let this be a lesson." Ami growled. "Anyone else that messes with me over something like this will meet a similar fate to her. Some better, some worse. Depends how much you choose to annoy me. Leave. _Now._"

The girls scurried away, tails between their legs, as an old man cackled and cheered to Ami, toothless mouth releasing a cry of; "You _said it_, girlie! _Well done!_"

Ami bowed, smirking, and the old man guffawed.

"I agree."

Ami turned towards the voice, a voice she would recognize anywhere, and was met with the sight of none other then Sasuke, Baby hanging over his body, purring loudly, spiked head resting on his shoulder with silvery eyes closed.

Ami felt heat rising in her face and did her best to force it back, but she couldn't stifle it completely, and a pink tinge showed on her face.

Sasuke either didn't notice or chose to make no comment. It may have been that he was distracted by the small girl looking up at him, large, brown eyes wide with wonder.

"Catman!" she squealed, waving her friends over.

Sasuke sighed as several more four year-olds came over to ogle him.

"Where are you going?" he asked Ami, choosing to ignore the children.

"Grocery shopping." she replied. "Then I have to help Aiko with her academy homework when she comes home."

"I'll come with you." he said, not asking her, but telling her. "I have to shop as well."

"Will you be okay with Baby on your shoulder?" Ami quizzed. "You'll be let in?"

"That cat's his _baby!_" a little boy said, poking his friend. "Catman's baby!"

"You're right!" the friend cried, "They have the same hair!"

"If he's the daddy, are you the mommy?" a little girl asked, pulling on Ami's skirt.

The brunette clapped a hand over her face, trying to hide her amusement. "N-not exactly…" she said, doing her best not to giggle at the combination of Sasuke's shocked face and Baby head-butting him with said expression.

They had gone on _one_ date, and the next day, everyone knew about it, the hate of the fangirls had hit a whole new level, and a group of children were convinced that they had had a child together, which was somehow a black kitten.

"Ne, ne. Nii-san. What's your name?" the little girl asked, tugging Sasuke's shorts.

"Sasuke." the boy grunted in reply, tugging his shorts out of her grasp.

"You're Konno Ami, aren't you?" a boy demanded, pointing at Ami, who nodded with a small "Un."

"I've heard about you! You're his girlfriend!"

Ami and Sasuke simultaneously choked on their own spit.

"_No! I'm not!_" Ami spluttered.

"_All we did was see 'Finding Nemo'!_" the raven shouted, face reddening.

"No! You went to the tea shop too! _And_ you had your arm around her at the movies!" the boy shot back.

"How do you even _know_ about that?" Ami cried, face scarlet.

"Everyone knows!"

"_How- _…fangirls." Sasuke sighed, pinching his brow.

"She's your girlfriend, and you had a _baby_ with her, too! _Take responsibility!_"

"_It's a fucking cat!_"

* * *

Eventually, Ami managed to clear up the misunderstanding with the children, as well as subdue a fuming Sasuke, and they now stood in front of a grocery store.

"So… back to the original question. Will you be let in with Baby on your shoulder?" Ami asked.

"I have her trained." the raven droned, stopping in front of the store. "Baby, wait for us outside."

The cat lifted her head and obediently hopped down, taking a seat next to the shop entrance, curling a sleek tail around her legs.

The pair of Genin entered the store, and whispers broke out almost immediately.

"_Look_, it's them!"

"_Oh my god_, I can't_ believe_ it!"

"They're _dating now_, did you hear?"

"_Seriously?_"

"I'm so jealous of her…"

Ami nervously flattened her hair, trying to avoid the eyes of the people staring, as Sasuke glared at the tiled floor.

* * *

The pair finished shopping and exited the store, Baby instantly leaping up onto Sasuke's shoulder.

Ami waved goodbye, as did the boy, and headed back to the inn, trying to come to terms with what had happened to her and Sasuke, as well as ignore the stares she got as she made her way home.

* * *

Sasuke hadn't actually told Ami he liked her, and so, she still harbored a small amount of doubt and confusion in regards to the boy's feelings.

It was so much easier to make your mind up about who liked who when it was someone else's relationship. Your own was an entirely different story.

* * *

Naruto still hadn't noticed as he was, quite simply, far too dense, while Sakura had gone into a fierce denial of sorts, desperately trying to convince herself that it was her that Sasuke wanted, not Ami, despite the fact that the raven had rejected her countless times and never spared her a second glance, then finally accepted it, but hated Ami for 'stealing Sasuke-kun'.

And so, obviously, meeting a few days later for a mission was not something Ami had been particularly looking forward to.

Even Kakashi knew.

He wasn't shy about it, either.

Naruto found out in this way, and he wouldn't stop screeching.

She could only hope that their mission would be a bit of a distraction.

* * *

**Haha, Sasuke got chastized by a four year-old boy. :P**


	17. Secrets, Explanations and Fishing

**I had a bit of a block on this one, but finally finished and now have a bit of the next chapter written as well. :)**

**There's a bit of fluff and crack in this chapter, and you also get to discover the embarrassing birthmark. **

**Enjoy, and many thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, put this story on alert, and please continue to tell me what you think! It really helps me write. :D**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Secrets, Explanations and Fishing

* * *

Team seven were going deep into one of the mountains ranges in the Country of Grass, Kusa, looking for herbs and special plants for a local chemist, whose usual workers had gotten sick with flu.

* * *

"I can't understand why you went on a date with _teme_." Naruto said incredulously to his friend, who shrugged.

"I can't understand why you like _Sakura_."

"…touché."

"Hey, Ami. Can I have a chat?" Sakura asked, running up from behind and poking the girl in the side.

Ami mentally groaned, continuing to walk along the grassy track. 'She hasn't been talking to me, but it'd come sooner or later.' she thought, 'I'd best just get it over with. Making her wait will just piss her off more.' "Sure." She slowed her walk to drop back away from the others, Sakura doing the same.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing!" the pink-haired girl demanded in a hushed whisper, "You _know_ _I_ like Sasuke-kun! What sort of _friend_ are _you!_"

"_Sakura…_"

"Don't _'Sakura'_ me! You're a _sneaky, lying, boy-stealing bitch!_"

"_Sasuke_ asked _me_ out." Ami growled, getting annoyed with the girl's lack of logic. "You've asked him out _tons_ of times, and he rejected you_ every time_. You've liked him for _way _longer than I have, and I feel for you Sakura, I _really_ do, but you're_ not_ the one he chose. I like Sasuke _a lot_, and I'm not giving him up just because you like him, when he doesn't even feel for you that way. So _sorry_, but you'll just have to _deal with it._"

"What are you both doing back there?" Kakashi asked, looking back at the pair of girls, who were glaring fiercely at each other.

"Oh, nothing!" Sakura said innocently, Ami rolling her eyes at the sugary tone. "Just talking, you know, having fun."

Sasuke had a sudden mental image of Ami being strapped to a moving wheel, not unlike those used in the circus, with Sakura throwing large, dangerously sharp knives at her, barely missing.

"Nami, come here." he said, and the girl, happy to get away from Sakura, smiled and came trotting forwards to walk beside the raven.

"So…" Naruto said, coming up on the brunette's other side. "Have you guys _kissed_ yet?" he asked, grinning widely, knowing full well how much he was embarrassing the pair.

Ami's face turned beet red, as Sasuke's eyes widened. Sakura's jaw dropped as her inner thoughts went into a furious rant of all the things she would do to Ami if she had stolen Sasuke's first kiss with a girl, most including a lot of pain.

"_Dobe…_" the raven warned.

'It's been _one fucking date.' _Ami thought, annoyed with the blond.

"What? I'm just asking." Naruto shrugged innocently, though the glint in his eyes was nothing pure. "Yes or no, Sasuke? Have you had your first kiss?"

"_You_ should remember." Ami commented before she could stop herself, and both boys looked sick at the memory.

"_That doesn't count!_ _Dammit, Ami_, how would _you _like it!" Naruto squealed, shoving the girl.

Right after he had pushed Ami, Naruto realized two things.

Firstly, he seemed to have pushed far harder than her had intended, as the unexpected shove to the middle of her back had caused Ami to trip over a tree root and go hurtling towards the shocked Uchiha's face.

Secondly, Sasuke seemed to have learned from experience, because as soon as he had seen Ami's face hurtling towards his own, much like Naruto's once had, he ducked, causing his face to end up somewhere around Ami's mid-section, and hers to smack against the tree behind him.

Naruto blanched. He had _not _expected _that _to happen.

"_Fuck!_"

"_Usuratonkachi!_"

* * *

Naruto was left walking around the rest of the day looking like a raccoon with two black eyes, courtesy of the pair he had abused.

* * *

Several hours later, the Genin and their sensei were currently enjoying the onsen at a small town on the way back from the Grass as a treat from their sensei, having finished their mission.

Well, actually, Sakura mentioned the onsen, and Naruto pestered the poor man endlessly until he agreed to take them.

* * *

Sakura sighed as she sank into the hot water, her long, pink hair pinned up in a ponytail.

She decided to try and be civil towards Ami whilst they were bathing. Onsen _were_ all about relaxation, after all.

"There's nothing like a bath in the middle of the day, huh?"

Ami hummed in agreement from the other side of the steaming pool, the action causing bubbles in the water as air flowed from her mouth, which was submerged under the water.

The pink-haired girl smirked slightly. "You look like a sunbathing cat."

The other girl merely smiled blissfully, the corners of her mouth poking above the bath's surface.

"Hey… Ami?"

"Hmm?" the girl replied, relishing in the warmth of the water.

"Why are you still wearing your towel?"

The brunette's eyes flicked open and she stared at the girl as she shifted slightly in the water, edging ever so slightly away from the pink-haired girl.

"…because I want to." was the quiet reply.

"…take it off."

* * *

The boys and Kakashi were listening curiously to the girls' conversation as they sat in the men's bath on the other side of the bamboo wall that separated the outdoor baths.

* * *

"…No." Ami said firmly.

"Come on, it's no big deal, I did!" Sakura said, wading through the water and pulling on the bottom of the other girl's towel, only for it to be yanked sharply from her fist.

The pink-haired girl stared at Ami's blushing face a moment, utterly confused, before a mischievous grin spread across her face and she pounced on the other girl, pushing her down into the water, causing a huge splash in the pool.

"_GYAAH! SAKURA, STOP!_"

"_Just take it off!_ _What are you hiding?_"

"_NO!"_

* * *

"Sounds like they're having fun." Kakashi commented lightly, the white cloth covering his face fluttering as he spoke.

"Idiots…" Sasuke muttered, before his ears perked up at a series of splashes, a moment of silence, and then a delighted squeal from Sakura on the other side of the fence;

"Oh my _gosh!_ Ami that's so _cute!_"

"_No! Shut up!_"

"What is it?" Naruto yelled curiously.

"_You don't need to know!"_ Ami screeched. _"Sakura, give me my towel, now!_"

"Oh my _gosh_, Naruto, it's so _cuteee!_"

"What? _What?_"

"_Don't you dare!_" Ami warned, but Sakura paid her no heed.

"Ami has a birthmark!"

Something clicked in Naruto's mind. "Oh, yeah! I remember Aiko telling me about that! What does it look like?"

"It's a-_mmph_!"

"Don't you dare!" the brunette yelled, clapping a hand over Sakura's mouth, before the pink-haired girl finally struggled free.

"It's a _strawberry_, about the size of a coin-mmph! Ami, _stop that!_"

"I WOULDN'T _HAVE TO DO IT_ IF YOU'D JUST _SHUT UP!_! I'M NOT EVEN MESSING, SAKURA! SERIOUSLY, I'M PISSED AS IT IS!"

"A strawberry? Where?" Naruto asked, bobbing up and down with excitement in the water, splashing Sasuke, who grunted an annoyed 'Dobe' at him.

"IT'S ON HER _BUTT!_" the pink-haired kunoichi yelled over.

The guys couldn't see it, but Ami's face went from pink, to white, to blue, then finally settled on beet red, her mouth flapping open and closed like a goldfish as she dropped Sakura.

"_Seriously?_" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow, trying not to laugh.

"Aww." Kakashi said, smiling in amusement.

"So that's why you wanted Aiko to stay quiet!" Naruto said loudly as he realized the reason for the girl's embarrassment. "Don't worry, Ami! Sakura-chan thinks it's cute!"

"Just… JUST SHUT UP!" the brunette squealed, forming several hand seals and spraying water at Sakura in a high-powered jet.

* * *

After they had finished bathing, Ami was unusually quiet and didn't seem to want to look anyone in the eye. Probably because they kept snickering.

Sakura was clearly smug.

"We're _even _now." Ami growled to the pick-haired girl, who grinned.

"_Strawberry._" Naruto coughed, receiving a smack over the head from the brunette.

"Shut up." Ami growled, scowling at the wall. 'So now, the attention is no longer on me and Sasuke having gone on a date, it's on my ass, instead. _Fucking wonderful._'

She found almost herself hoping they would switch back to the original topic, when she felt a small tug on her ponytail, and her hair fell around her shoulders and face.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned as the others stared at the boy's spontaneous action, white hair-tie in his hand.

He ignored them. "Wear your hair down, Nami. We're done our mission and it looks nicer this way."

There was a moment of silence as Ami stared at her crush and blushed a little, broken by a teasing "Aww…" from Naruto and clapping from Kakashi, whilst Sakura's nostrils flared.

'He changed the subject so that they're teasing him as well now?'

The raven rolled his eyes at the others and Ami smiled slightly.

'Thanks, Sasuke…'

* * *

Ami sighed as she reached the top of the stone steps in front of Keijousai, arms laden with groceries. She looked up and was surprised to meet a pair of green eyes.

A woman of around twenty, with brunette, shoulder-length hair in two pigtails, wearing a curious expression as she eyed her, stood before Ami.

"Can I help you?" the young kunoichi asked the green-eyed stranger, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm sorry." the girl mumbled, "I was looking for the owner of this inn, but… but…" Her eyes clouded and drooped and her voice petered out as she swayed slightly on the spot.

'She kind of looks like she's going to pass out.' Ami thought, then cried out in surprise when the girl collapsed before her, fainting right there and falling down onto the ground. The brunette dropped to her knees, putting the groceries onto the ground. She turned the girl's head to the side so she didn't choke on her tongue, and lifted her legs to encourage blood back to the brain, loosening tight clothing as she held them.

'_What in hell!_' Ami thought, shocked at what had just happened. "_I hadn't thought she'd actually fall that fast!_"

* * *

"I'm terribly sorry." the girl said hazily, sitting in a chair. "I'm anemic, so that happens often."

Ami nodded slightly, looking down at her feet. "I'm just glad I knew what to do."

"By the way…"

Ami looked up.

"I was looking for the innkeeper…"

"Ah- that's me!" she jumped to her feet and bowed deeply to the woman. "Konno Ami!"

"Oh! My apologies, you're quite young, so I didn't think it was you. My name is Kakou Junko. Nice to meet you."

She went to get up to bow but Ami held up a hand to stop her.

"Please don't get up yet. You could faint again."

Junko leant back into the chair obediently. "I'm looking for a room."

Ami beamed.

Another tenant.

"Alright. I just need a few details." Ami said, trotting over to a small table the phone sat on and picking up three forms from beside it. "Please fill the first two of these out. The third has all the information you will need in regards to living here."

The brunette woman did as she was told, and handed the papers back to the innkeeper, who bowed.

"Thank you, and I hope you enjoy your stay here."

Yet again, Ami had to keep the woman from bowing.

* * *

The next morning, Ami got up for yet another mission. Today, Team Seven would be helping to clear up the warehouse of a lord.

Needless to say, at nine o'clock she was rearing to go.

Leaning against the wall as she watched the kettle boiling, Ami yawned, before hearing a cry of surprise and going to investigate.

* * *

Sasuke was standing over a brunette woman, who was lying motionless on the floor, a shocked expression on his face.

'Sasuke killed someone…?' Ami dimly registered, leaning sleepily against a door frame. "I am _not_ helping you hide that body."

The raven looked up at her, dark eyes widened in shock. "_She just fell over!_" he exclaimed, worried for the unconscious woman.

Ami stuck a finger in her ear and yelled; "_I can be loud too!_" at the raven, who almost gawked at her, but Uchihas don't gawk, so he glared instead. "Stop shouting… I'm too tired for- _JUNKO-SAN!_"

The raven winced at the pitch her voice hit.

* * *

After several minutes, Junko had regained consciousness and was resting on the floor, Miku holding her legs up over head as Ami talked to Sasuke in the other room.

"So… ah… what's up, Sasuke?" she asked shyly.

"Our mission was canceled, so we have group training on today, instead. Same time and meeting place."

"Oh… thanks."

"Hn."

As Sasuke exited the inn, Sachi gawked after him before receiving a small slap over the head from Haruka, who quietly growled that since he was they landlady's crush, unless she wanted to be out on her ass she had better leave him alone.

A thought suddenly struck Ami. 'Hold on… why didn't he just phone me?'

After thinking a moment, a grin spread across her face.

* * *

"So, I heard you're dating Sasuke-kun." a girl sneered at Ami as she walked down the street towards the bridge she was to meet the others at.

'Good god, can I not even _go training_ without suffering this _crap_?' Ami mentally groaned. "Did you also hear about the girl I recently kicked in the head for bugging me?"

The fangirl's sneer wavered slightly.

Ami glared hard at her, then suddenly jerked her face and upper body towards the girl, startling her as she fell back, tripping over a small bin. The Konno snorted.

"Sneers and jeers aren't very effective. If you have time to bother me, go train."

"Yo." a voice called.

Ami turned and saw Sasuke. Baby wasn't with him today.

"Hey. You coming?"

"Yeah."

* * *

The pair headed off to the training grounds. There, they found Naruto, banging his head off a tree. They didn't know why, and weren't sure if they wanted to ask. Sakura came along several minutes later, smiled at Sasuke, glared at Ami, and set about training with her kunai aim. Sasuke began practicing shuriken, as Ami began practising the Water Clone technique, which she had asked Kakashi to teach her earlier on in the week and Naruto began a spar with a group of his own Kage Bunshin, using only Taijutsu.

Three hours later, when Kakashi finally showed up, Naruto had several bruises, although most seemed to have healed before the three hours was even up, whilst Ami looked a little out of breath, but otherwise fine. Sakura was sulking under a tree and Sasuke had moved on to practicing his Fire jutsu over the river. The man waved lazily, told them a rubbish excuse as Naruto and Sakura yelled at him, then sat down in a tree and settled down to read his orange adult novel.

"I'm going home." Sasuke eventually said.

Ami sensed something in the air as Sasuke left. "Naruto, Sakura. We should go back too. It'll rain soon."

Sakura briefly glared up at the sky. It was clear. "You must be joking." she said, annoyed. There's not a cloud in the sky, what makes you think _rain's_ coming?"

"I can feel it." the brunette replied. "The wind's changed direction, and it's carrying water. Also, if you look where it's coming from, you can see the clouds."

Sakura checked, and saw that she was right.

"Hey, Ami?" Naruto asked, confused. "I don't really understand your divining. How does it work?"

Ami emptied, rinsed and refilled her canteen as she thought how to best answer. "In my clan, the Konno clan, nearly everyone has a natural ability for divining water. Some have longer ranges than others. It's completely random and has nothing to do with blood purity." She frowned a little before finishing. "Mine's way below the average of fifty metres. I'm only twenty. Even Aiko's better than me. She has sixty metres, though she can't control it well yet. My control wasn't great either, before, and that's why I kept getting headaches and taking those pills in the Wave Country, where it's always so foggy, but I can sense water inside the radius length, twenty metres, from my own body, and after training with it for a while, I can tell where it is now. I can also tell roughly how much."

"But, but, what does it feel like when you sense water?"

"It's like…" Ami began, then stopped, suddenly realizing that she wasn't sure how to explain it. "Ah… okay, you know… um… You know when it's going to rain, how you can sort of _smell _the wetness in the air?"

Sakura nodded, whilst Naruto furrowed his brow in confusion.

"_Huh…?_"

Ami sighed. "Okay… Naruto… you know when you can smell your ramen being done?"

The boy's face brightened just at the mention of the greasy food. "_Yeah!_"

"Me sensing water is like a more powerful ability of that. You could probably tell which flavor your ramen is, while I would be able to tell how much water was in it, how far away it was, where it was, you get me? And if I got good enough, like _seriously amazing_ at divining, I could probably guess from the volume of steam rising from the bowl how hot it was."

"Wow…"

"It's kind of like how a dog smells."

"…When you sense water it smells like dog?" the blond questioned stupidly.

Ami resisted rolling her eyes. "No, Naruto, I didn't mean the smell of dog, I meant the dog's sense of smell."

"Oh…"

"_Stupid Naruto._" Sakura scowled. "I'm going home." she said, stalking past Ami with her nose in the air.

'She's still mad with me…?' the brunette thought, saddened. 'I guess it'll take a while.'

* * *

The following day, team seven went on a mission to clear up trash around a local river. Ami was picking up rubbish from inside the river, which thankfully, hadn't yet harmed the fish life, whilst Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura tided up the land. As per usual, Kakashi lazed about reading.

Later on, for dinner, Sasuke lit a fire and the Genin, under Kakashi's supervision, had a go at catching fish. They caught several, despite Naruto and Sakura falling down in the water and scaring a few away. Naruto had missed every time, although Sakura did catch one, but was so shocked by the feel of the slippery creature that she instantly released it with a scream.

Ami was used to the refraction effect of water from training in it so often, and so, had the easiest time and managed to catch three of the fish, promptly killing them by banging each of their heads off a rock in the river and tossing them to Sakura, who had moved onto land beside the fire alongside Naruto to warm up. Sasuke caught two more, but the first time, he, like Sakura, was surprised at the touch, and threw his fish onto the bank, where it landed on Naruto's lap. The blond released an almighty screech and leaped up, dropping the fish onto the ground before he remembered that that was his dinner, and punching it repeatedly until it died, fish head flying everywhere as the others looked on, horrified.

* * *

The Genin ate in silence around the fire, Naruto gnawing shyly at his battered fish, the others trying not to think about the scattered blobs of brains surrounding the blond. Kakashi ate his fish up in the tree, behind his book, with his back to the Genin to make absolute sure they couldn't see his face.

* * *

**For anyone who doesn't know, 'usuratonkachi' is one of Sasuke's commonly used insults for Naruto, and it basically means 'total moron', while 'dobe' means 'dead last'.**

**Also, I've gotten a couple of messages from several people regarding this, so let me just explain it again. 'Nami' _does_ means 'wave', but it can _also_ mean 'average'. Sasuke used the term to call Ami average, implying that while she's not as bad as Naruto, she's still nothing special, however, the nickname has lost its effect over time, and now it's more of a pet name than an actual insult.**

**Please tell me what you guys thought! :D And if you have any ideas, suggestions, or questions, don't be shy to tell me! ;)**


	18. Interruptions, Old Men and Sleeping

**I'm going tomorrow, so I wanted to get a chapter up before I went. I'll be gone for four days, wish me luck with not being driven insane by my moaning father. ^^; ****Hopefully Galway will be fun. :)**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it.**

* * *

Interruptions, Old Men and Sleeping

* * *

After Sasuke and Ami had been dating for several weeks, Sakura had cooled down considerably, to the point where she was at least speaking to Ami, albeit in curt, one-word sentences, and looking at her without glaring, although refusing to smile. The calming effects of time were a big relief both to the teamwork of squad seven and the couple in question. Naruto had been more surprised than anything, but once his confusion cleared slightly, he was pretty okay with the idea of the two of them together, eventually realizing, to his utter joy, that with Sasuke presumably taken, Sakura would hopefully be easier for him to woo. Kakashi was just a pervert for a while, but eventually toned it down (in regards to his students anyway). The small orange book remained firmly in his possession.

* * *

Team seven were currently on a mission a little outside of Konoha for and old man, who wanted them to escort him home to his house in a small village about two days from the Leaf Village.

* * *

Ami was well and truly creeped the hell out.

Sasuke didn't seem particularly happy either.

As soon as they had met each other, the man instantly went over to Ami, despite her feeling clearly irked by his presence. Call it woman's intuition or whatever you like, but Ami had 'lecherous' flashing in her head in bright, neon colours. The man began stroking her hair, telling her all about how lovely it was whilst Sasuke glared at him for playing with the brunette strands.

* * *

"It's so beautiful." the old man sighed wistfully, caressing the chestnut locks. "It reminds me of how my wife's used to look."

'_Well, I'm not your wife so get the fuck away from me you old creep!_' Ami thought, shuddering at the man's touch.

"Mind you," the old man giggled, yes, _giggled_. He was _definitely_ creepy.

When Naruto giggled, it was innocent and childish.

When this man giggled, it was perverted and made your skin crawl.

"When I was young, I used to have lovely, long, wavy, black hair." the old man tittered.

"Clearly, it's waved goodbye since then." Sasuke growled.

Ami burst out laughing, Sakura snorted, and Naruto cackled at the raven's comment. The pensioner released her with a scowl on his wrinkly, old face.

* * *

After a day of walking, they had set up camp, and the sensei and client were in one tent, with the Genin in the other.

Kakashi and the old man were back at the tents, Naruto and Sakura were looking for berries and edible plants, and Ami and Sasuke were fishing together.

"You've been getting really good at this, Sasuke." Ami said smiling at the boy, who smirked and turned to her, revealing his scarlet Sharingan.

Ami stared, enthralled by the crimson eyes, realizing she'd never actually seen Sasuke use them up close before.

"Can I…?" she asked, and the boy, understanding, nodded, allowing her to get up close and gaze at the red and black irises, a wondrous smile spreading across her face. "They're so cool…" she murmured, then her brow furrowed slightly. "They're not complete yet, though, are they? You don't have all three commas in each eye."

"No." Sasuke said. "They'll come though."

"They're incredible." she whispered. "Wish I could change my eye colour."

Sasuke released the eyes and they faded back to their usual dark gray shade. "Why? Your eyes are fine the way they are."

Ami felt butterflies at the boy's compliment, "I dunno… Guess I'm just being vain."

Sasuke shrugged apathetically, then turned back to fishing, as did Ami.

However, after a while, the feelings of wanting to stare at her crush, despite it being rude, were driving her insane, and she turned her head slightly to gawk at the back of the Uchiha's head, drinking his image in. Ami gazed at Sasuke's dark hair, black spikes stuck up at the back of his head as the Uchiha looked down at the water, brow furrowed in concentration.

'It looks soft…' she thought, wondering how it would feel to touch.

She suddenly noticed that he was staring at her in surprise and shock, and it took her a moment to realize why.

Before she had even known what she was doing, she had reached up and pulled at his hair, twisting a raven lock around her finger.

Sasuke remained silent as he stared at her and Ami wondered what she should say to excuse herself, eventually choosing honesty as the best choice in this situation as she released the dark strand.

"Sorry." she said sheepishly, retracting her hand, "I just kinda zoned out."

"…hn." Sasuke muttered, facing away from the girl.

'Crap. Now he probably thinks I'm some sort of weirdo.' Ami thought, sighing quietly.

"Nami?"

"Yeah?"

"…forget it."

The brunette frowned. "Tell me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I said so."

"You're mean."

"And you randomly fondle my hair."

"…Alright, you win."

"Hooray."

Ami laughed. The way he deadpanned the exuberant word just tickled her.

"Oh yeah!" the girl said, suddenly remembering something.

Sasuke rose an eyebrow as she crouched down and injected Chakra into the liquid.

"There's something I want to try!" she said, then lifted the water up and with a little bit of experimentation and trying that lasted for about thirty seconds, formed it into a similar shape to the Marlin impression made by the shoal of fish from the first film they had seen together.

The raven smirked as he watched Ami open and close the water creature's mouth, making 'blah, blah' noises as she did. "I didn't know you could do that."

Ami beamed proudly. "I never thought to try until I saw the fish do it. After that mission with Akira, though, I learned tons of new things."

Sasuke's smirk slid of his face at the mention of the boy's name, and Ami blushed as she remembered the state the brunette had found she and her crush in.

"Why are you blushing?" Sasuke asked, a dangerous note in his voice.

"The tree incident." she said simply.

Sasuke stared at her a moment, then widened his eyes as he comprehended her meaning. "Ah… _ah!_"

"Yeah… 'ah'." Ami mumbled.

There was a moment of silence, then Sasuke spoke.

"I don't like that guy." he grumbled. "Don't mention him again."

'Okay… I've made him mad. Crap.' Ami winced. "Sorry." she mumbled, then lost her concentration and absent-mindedly dropped the water she held in the air into the river, splashing herself slightly, extracting a small snicker from Sasuke.

"Nami." he smirked.

Ami blushed and then found herself staring at the raven's face, eyes flitting down to his curled lips.

Despite having dated for a over a month, the pair still had yet to have their first kiss. At first, both had kept hoping the other would initiate the action, but Sasuke wasn't good with people or feelings, whilst Ami was just plain shy as hell and terrified of messing up with the boy. Neither of them had done this before.

However, they had both had sort-of-a-kiss-but-not-really-a-kiss experiences.

Sasuke's had been with Naruto in the academy classroom when the blond fell on his face.

Ami's had been a slobber received during a game of kiss-chase at six years of age.

They had later tried, a few times, actually, the blunt honesty of both of them making approaching the subject slightly easier, but every time, something seemed to interrupt them.

The first time, Naruto had interrupted by screaming rather loudly about how he had 'sat on poison ivy when he was taking a dump'.

Needless to say, neither of them were in the mood to kiss after his exclamation.

However, they _were_ united in their desire to beat the living hell out of their blond teammate, as he attempted to run with his trousers around his ankles, before tripping and falling face-first into a cluster of nettles with a second bout of screeching.

The second time had been Aiko setting off the fire alarm in the kitchen, the _one _time she burned the fish.

The third had been Baby leaping up on Sasuke's kitchen table and shattering a vase she knocked to the floor.

The fourth time, Kakashi had been sitting in a tree overhead and giggled pervertedly.

Ami was beginning to wonder if the fangirls had cursed her, but refused to be deterred.

And so, after deciding that now might be a good time to try, considering they were unlikely to be interrupted, Ami decided to pop the question.

"Hey… Sasuke?"

The boy looked at her.

"Do you… want to try kissing?"

The raven whipped his head around to stare at the girl, mouth slightly open in surprise.

"_You don't have to!_" Ami added quickly, worried she had scared the boy away. "I-if you want to, though… I'm okay with it."

Sasuke said nothing for a long time, then finally spoke. "I'm… alright with it."

Ami felt her stomach somersault as she stared at the raven, who turned around and stepped closer to her, taking her face in his hands.

Sasuke looked at the girl, her cheeks scarlet and blue eyes wide as she gazed at him.

Ami could see a blush creeping onto his face, and could have sworn she saw beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Leaning in, Ami closed her eyes, hoping to god she was aiming properly and that there'd be no interruptions, Sasuke doing the same.

Her lips connected with something and when she recognized the shape of a nose a little above, just touching with her own, a burst of shock that could only be compared to electricity shot through her as she realized she had hit her target.

It was weird, awkward, and scary, but she felt like flying.

The boy's lips were slightly chapped, rougher, but also softer than she had thought they would be.

Out of shyness, they pulled apart rather quickly, and both instantly felt their anxiety soar after the small peck. They stared at each other, faces reddening further and further with each passing moment.

Thoughts swamped Ami's panicking, shocked and embarrassed-as-hell mind.

'Oh my god I just kissed Sasuke I can't believe it he keeps staring at me should I have done more than a peck did I pull away too soon was I bad was I good what's he thinking what should I do is he going to run away is he mad did he like it I am so embarrassed does he regret it I liked it his face is so red so is mine please stop staring at me-why is there a dopey grin spreading across my face?'

"Are you my girlfriend now?" Sasuke asked, expression and voice completely innocent, uncertain and slightly baffled.

The brunette stared at him, a goofy smile still plastered on her red face as she tried not to laugh, as Sasuke was a very proud person and would not take kindly to her sniggering at him, even if he had just asked a question that had sounded like something you'd hear from an eight year-old.

He really was clueless when it came to these things.

Although, she was only just a _teensy_ bit better.

"If you want me to be." she said smiling.

Sasuke looked confused a moment, then smirked, the expression eventually morphing into a mirror of Ami's own face.

Ami beamed and hugged the boy as she realized his answer, butterflies exploding inside her when the raven hugged back.

* * *

They headed back to camp, Sasuke smirking proudly, Ami grinning widely, both pleased at their shared achievement, not even realizing until they got back that they had completely forgotten about the fish, and both blushing when Naruto correctly guessed as to just what had happened, Sakura almost passing out at the realization. The old man had been quite grumpy from then on due to the lack of fish in their dinner and had gotten even angrier when Ami got down on her knees and gave him an _incredibly _sarcastic apology, but wasn't able to say anything seeing as she _had _apologized.

* * *

After Team Seven dropping the man home, they had begun their own way back to Konoha, but had to stop to stay the night in a tent. This time, seeing as the second tent had been the old man's, all four were in one tent, which was slightly cramped, but got them by, nonetheless.

* * *

And so, now the Genin and their sensei all laid inside the tent, curled up in their sleeping bags.

Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto had all gone into deep sleep, but Sasuke and Ami were still awake long after them. They weren't speaking or making noise, respecting their team members' need for sleep, but were quite bored, as the darkness made it extremely difficult to do anything amusing, and they both found it impossible to sleep with the continuous pattering of rain on the tent's material, Sasuke's problem being that he was a light sleeper, Ami's that her divining still wasn't under complete control, and the continuous pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the canvas and sliding down the tent's side almost felt like bugs crawling on her skin.

It had been going on for several hours, and Sasuke was feeling very bored, tired and grumpy.

He wanted to do something, say something, look at something, anything, and seeing as Ami was, as far as he knew, awake, he decided that she would be the one to entertain him.

"Nami?" he whispered to the girl's back. "...Nami."

There was no reply, and after several moments, the raven realized what had happened.

Sasuke was slightly put out that the brunette had managed to drift off when he couldn't, but cheered up as he remembered his first kiss with the girl. He looked at the brunette beside him, now sleeping peacefully, and couldn't help but smirk smugly, basking in his victory, until his thoughts were rudely interrupted by a loud fart from Naruto.

Sasuke lifted his head to glare at the slumbering blond, who, having kicked off his blankets, was currently scratching his crotch for everyone to see, mumbling.

"_Sakura-chan…_"

The pink-haired girl grinned stupidly in her sleep.

"_Sasuke-kun…_"

Said boy scowled in disgust, then almost snorted as Ami instantly replied to the irritating name, despite being asleep.

"_Fuck off... you bitch..._"

* * *

Two days later, the Konoha shinobi arrived back in the Leaf Village, roughly around one in the morning.

Ami was careful as she ascended the steps, knowing that this late at night, Aiko would have set the security up. She looked carefully for the jagged stone hidden in the grass around the middle of the stairs on the right side, lifting and holding it for twenty seconds before placing it back down gently to release a switch underground that would otherwise shoot twenty kunai from both sides of the path just two metres further at anything heavy enough, more than a five-year old child being the general weight, to push down the sixty-second step and activate it.

Oh yes, there was a reason it was called 'strong fort'.

Having been the residence of the Konno clan three-hundred years ago, before being converted into an inn, security was a must, and seeing as the effectiveness of the booby traps was still so great, very little upgrading had been needed. Even as the rest of the house had deteriorated, the stratagems had remained perfectly intact, although the hidden passages and escape routes in the massive building _had_ needed repairing.

Ami was _still_ finding new ones every other week.

Just the other day, whilst looking for a scroll in a cupboard in her room, she had moved a stack of books and discovered a large hole in the back of the cabinet, and upon climbing in, found herself sliding down a chute and ending up in a rather startled Sachi's room, who had began screaming about ghosts when she had heard banging inside the walls, as unfortunately for the landlady, the other end of the passageway had been boarded up by Naruto during the repairs.

She _really_ needed to look for those blueprints.

At least the traps had been clearly remembered and taught to the Konno girls by their grandmother before she had passed away, and so, there was no worries about getting stabbed by a kunai or crushed by a boulder caused by a rigged explosion with paper bombs.

And so, after disabling many similar tricks and snares, Ami made her way to the front entrance, where the only thing left to do was flick a switch at the back of a maneki neko statue to avoid the trapdoor under her feet opening and dropping her straight into the source of boiling water for the hot springs at the back.

Silently stepping inside the dorm entrance, Ami made sure to reset all the traps at the front of the building, pulling several levers and switches inside a small compartment residing beneath a tatami mat in the kitchen, then checking all the ones for the other sides and sections in different paces in different rooms, before heading up the stairs to her room on the top floor.

Just as she passed Aiko's room, the small girl appeared at the door, looking up happily at her older sister, having eagerly awaited her return.

"Welcome home." she smiled, hugging the elder girl around her waist.

Ami hugged back. "Thanks. I'm home."

"You seem happy."

"I am." Ami smiled. "Do you want to know why?"

"Why?" Aiko whispered.

The brunette's face practically glowed with happiness. "I kissed Sasuke."

Aiko clapped her hands over her mouth to smother an excited squeal.

"Yes, yes, now go to bed!" Ami giggled, hushing her sister back inside her room. "Or we'll wake up the others!"

Aiko still had a hand clasped over her grinning mouth as she pulled the sliding door closed behind herself, winking at her sister just before she disappeared behind it.

* * *

The following afternoon, Ami strode through the marketplace of Konoha. As she was heading back home with a brown paper bag of groceries in her arms, Ami caught sight of a certain spiky-haired cat outside the store where kunai and the like were bought by shinobi.

"Baby!"

The silver-eyed animal looked at her, then began staring, as if to say; 'If you want to pet me, _you_ come, I'm not moving.'

'She's so cold unless you're Sasuke…' Ami sighed, deciding not to give in to the cat's stubbornness and go home, when the shop bell jingled as the cat's raven owner appeared outside the shop, the dark creature instantly clambering up his clothes.

"Nami?"

The girl turned back to face him and waved hello. "Hey, Sasuke."

"I'll walk with you."

There was no question. It was a pure statement.

Ami smiled at the boy, waiting as he made his way over to her, plastic bag hanging from his fist.

* * *

"So, how have you been coping with the fangirls?" Sasuke asked.

"Pretty well. I don't beat them up every chance I get, but I handle them well. Hit one every now and then and they stay fairly well away."

"That's good."

"Sasuke?"

"Mmm?"

"Why do you have so many fans in the first place?" Ami questioned.

The raven shrugged. "I have no idea, they just treat me as their idol."

"But why?"

"Maybe they think I'm perfect or something. How would I know?"

"I don't think you're perfect at all." the girl said bluntly. "Not to be rude." she added, remembering how proud the boy was.

The Uchiha raised a dark eyebrow at the brunette. "What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"You're strong, nice when you want to be, handsome, intelligent, talented, loyal-"

"Those are all compliments."

Ami sighed as she began counting on her fingers all the imperfections he had.

"but… you're mean and stubborn. Not great at expressing yourself, although when you do, you're nice and easy to understand, very clear about what you think, but I really can't understand why you're so popular-"

"That's why I said they don't really know who I am. They just idolize me." Sasuke said, before he realized something as he watched and listened to Ami as she continued her list, finishing both hands, still holding the bag in her elbow and starting over again.

"-you're grumpy, you always have that 'I'm fed up' look on your face, you always talk with that 'holier-than-thou' attitude-"

'Those other girls…' he thought, remembering the things he would hear the fangirls saying about him.

'Sasuke-kun is so handsome!'

'Oh, he's looking over this way!'

'He looks like he's about to talk to you!'

'No way, he wouldn't…'

"-anywhere you go, harlequins follow. You have a superiority complex _and _an inferiority complex. You-"

'Come to think of it…' he thought, comprehending something about the brunette girl before him. 'Ami is probably the only girl who actually knows much about me. The others always say that they love me, but considering how little they actually talk to me, or always see me through rose-coloured glasses, that's not really possible. Even Sakura.'

"-you always sneer at people, about half of the communication I have with you consists of grunting because you can't be bothered to use actual speech, and the noise reminds me of a pig-"

She fell silent when she noticed how Sasuke was staring at her.

'Oh crap. Maybe I went too far…' she thought nervously, quickly placing her hands back on the paper bag and turning around, covering her mouth in shock.

"Ami."

The girl jumped at Sasuke whispering her name in her ear.

She turned her head and wide blue was met with dark obsidian. Ami felt her cheeks grow hot as she realized just how close the boys face was to her own.

"…You really are a weirdo, you know that?" the boy asked.

She blinked. "Huh?"

Sasuke patted her on the head like a child, despite her being barely two centimetres shorter than himself. "Don't ever change." he said, and Ami was shocked to see the expression on the boy's face that she had always wanted to see aimed at her.

A smile.

It wasn't a sneer, it wasn't a smirk, and it wasn't forced.

It was a real, true smile that warmed her just by looking at it.

The raven removed his hand and turned, fond expression still on his face, then headed home, Ami staring after him, pride and love filling her to the brim.

* * *

**Fluffy chapter is fluffy. lol**

**I tried to make the first kiss as realistic as possible, but it differs for everyone, so I hope I explained it well. :)**

**I figured that since Sasuke had never done this before, he'd probably be _really _dense about these things, so acting like an eight year-old would fit. XD In most fanfics, he always seems to know exactly what he's doing, but I'm trying to make this story somewhat realistic, so I'm not following the unwritten rule that Sasuke knows everything about relationships, despite being antisocial and grumpy.**

**This chapter is really just fluff, bar the small section about traps, but most new relationships are like that, slobbering all over each other for the first couple months until their friends just want to snap their necks for talking nonstop about their girlfriend/boyfriend and they eventually cool it down, but since both of the people in this relationship hate fangirls and their endless blather and drooling, I didn't think either of them would be outright lovey-dovey, so I've contained it, but tried to show it in more subtle ways. **

**Remember, this is my first fanfic, so guidance and corrections are needed!**


	19. Bullies, Lizards and Foreigners

**Wow, it's been over a week since my last update! :O Enjoy!**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Thank you Pandalion for the idea suggestions! I kind of mixed two of them together in the story! :D **

**Hope you like! :D**

* * *

Bullies, Lizards and Foreigners

* * *

The two girls of Team Seven were strolling down the street; Sakura dressed in a pink T-shirt, black skirt, and pink dolly shoes, her hair up in a ponytail, Ami in a white vest with light blue trousers and shoes, a white handbag on her hip, hair down.

Yesterday had been April twenty-third, Ami's birthday, and she was now thirteen years of age. To celebrate, team seven and the Keijousai tenants had had a party in the dorm, all the food having been prepared by Aiko, and today, the girls of team seven went out shopping.

"I'm never going out in public with you again." Sakura muttered.

"Why not?" Ami asked, confused.

Sakura glared at her. "_'Why not'?_" she cried, "You leapfrogged over all the pillars outside the cinema, then slid down the railing and collapsed yelling; 'I hurt my penis!' What do_ you_ think?"

Ami shrugged nonchalantly.

Sakura growled in frustration. "Iruka-sensei was there! He _saw_ you!"

Ami's eyes widened. "He _was?_" she gaped a moment, before bursting out laughing. "_Brilliant!_"

"You know, sometimes, you're as bad as _Naruto!_"

The brunette simply grinned.

Being in love did things to people.

* * *

The two girls parted ways as Sakura headed home and Ami made her way towards the academy to pick up Aiko.

* * *

Strolling in the gates of the building, she was displeased, well, okay, furious at the sight she was met with.

Aiko was surrounded by three boys, who were jeering at her and pulling on her pigtails.

"You splashed me, today!" one of them growled.

"Apologize!" another barked.

"I did!" Aiko wailed.

Ami felt her overprotective big sister side kicking in and her teeth bared as her nostrils flared.

Striding up behind the boys, she growled.

"_You boys aren't picking on my dear little sister, are you?_" she said in a dangerously low voice.

Aiko looked up at Ami, tears in her eyes, as the boys turned around.

The older brunette felt a sick kind of satisfaction as the boys seemed to shrink in size as they gazed up at her, cowering under her fierce glare.

They ran for it.

* * *

"Hey, sis?" Aiko asked as they walked up the steps of the dorm together.

Ami looked at her sister. "Mmm?"

"…Will you help me train? With water?"

Ami thought to herself a moment. 'I suppose an hour or two wouldn't hurt. I haven't trained with Aiko for a while.' "How far have you gotten?" she asked.

"Well… my control range is still only five metres and I'm still trying to get Suiton, Mizu Buyou no Jutsu right."

The two girls went around to the back of the house and Ami scooped up some water out of the swift stream with a bucket, then placed the pail in from of Aiko.

"Let's see it." the elder sister said.

Aiko nodded and placed her hands in the water, then slowly pulled it up out of the bucket, lifting it up over her head. It was quivering slightly, but Aiko was doing well.

"Good job, Aiko!" Ami grinned. "You've gotten tons better!"

The pigtailed girl beamed at her sister, but forgot about the water in the air and dropped it on top of herself, drenching her body from head to toe.

Ami winced and bent down wiping the water and wet hair out of her sister's face. "Oh dear… You're all wet."

Aiko pouted miserably. "You're so much better at this than I am…" she sniveled.

"Aiko, I'm, what, _five_ years older than you. I think I just_ might_ have had a _bit_ of a headstart."

"_No!_ When you were my age you were _way_ better!"

Ami shrugged. "True, but you're learning medicinal stuff as well. Your training is more varied than mine. In future, when you're fighting, if you break a bone or get a bad wound, you'll be able to fix it. My Chakra is no good for healing, so I'll be stuck, sitting on my ass like an idiot, waiting to be found, hopefully by a comrade."

Aiko looked up and smiled slightly. Ami grinned back.

"Don't bother to change your clothes, it's warm today." Ami refilled Aiko's bucket, and then a second one for herself. "How about I show you how it's done?"

Aiko nodded. "Okay."

Ami formed the necessary seals, then placed her hands in the pail of water, pumping in Chakra.

"The Chakra you put in is the link between your body and the water." the older girl explained, "Once you've done this, the water's flow will mimic the Chakra flow in your own body, including the direction changes from when you move. As I lift the water-" She slowly raised her arm. "I'm moving my arm, but also the Chakra within my arm. Your range is treated like a map for the water, and affects how far you push or pull the liquid with each movement. For example, if I extend my pinkie finger, the water will move to about a metre in front of me, but if you extend yours, it will move to about half a metre in front of you. You see? Even though the distance of a metre is within both of our ranges, because my range is larger, each movement I do gives me more distance than the same movement from you will, due to how it's plotted one's range map."

Aiko stared in fascination as Ami moved the water about herself.

"Your range continues to grow as long as your body does, so by about twenty years of age, you're at your final length. You need to adjust yourself as you grow to keep precision, but also, as you grow, you're able to get more precise movements done since you have more room to work with and don't get in your own way."

Ami pulled up a small sphere of liquid about the size of a grape in front of herself, closed her hand in a fist, then opened it. A small ring about an inch wide formed. She proceeded to move her thumb and middle finger, pulling off a single drop from the ring and moving it around and through the loop with her middle finger.

Aiko gaped.

"I had the idea, but I couldn't do it this small at your age." the blue-eyed girl smiled. "Someday, we'll both be able to do it even smaller than this."

Ami returned this liquid to the rest of her aqua.

"This technique is called Water Dance

* * *

"Try to make your movements more fluid." the brunette instructed her younger sister, stepping over to the little girl and showing her what was wrong. "You're doing this;"

She imitated Aiko's slow, stiff and uncertain movements, without water.

"This is what it _should_ look like;"

She displayed the way she would normally move; quick, powerful, and smooth, still without water.

"So, your way right now looks like this with water;"

She performed the technique like Aiko had and created a weak push of liquid that wobbled and went off course.

"But we want to get it like_ this_;"

She performed the technique properly and the gush of water shot at a tree, exploding against the side, splashing both of them slightly.

"Okay?"

Aiko nodded slowly, slightly intimidated by her sister's skill.

"You only think it's impressive because you can't do it yet." Ami said, patting her head. "Five years, Aiko. You'll improve."

* * *

Aiko would improve, but clearly not that afternoon.

Splashing Hyuuga Hiashi, Hinata's father, did not award extra points.

Even though Hinata had seemed as though she was fighting back laughter as her father's long, brown hair began to frizz up, the man's white eyes bulging out of his head as he roared after the pair of Konnos hightailing it out of there.

* * *

Ami was digging through a bookshelf, searching for a particular scroll.

'It's about time I learned a bit about Wind Chakra.' she thought to herself. 'I'm good enough at water for now.'

In the Konno clan, any of those with the bloodline limit Tsukunaimen, which was characterized by a thin line from the base of the little finger to the base of the thumb across their left hand, had the Chakra of both water and wind natures, later being able to combine them to use ice techniques. One of the pair was always dominant, and in Ami's case, it was Water Chakra, hence her affinity. However, she had finally decided that it was time to try and harness her wind abilities, and so, was searching for a scroll to learn the basics from.

At last, she found it; 'Konno no Kaze' written on the side.

Grinning excitedly, Ami ran out into the hallway, into the room beside hers, and lifted up a tatami to the left of the door, sliding down a passage she had discovered a few months ago when cleaning, out into the garden, exiting behind a large, earthenware statue.

She ran out from behind the clay sculpture and into the middle of the garden, sitting down and reading the scroll eagerly.

After mentally learning the basic idea and technique, she stood up, placing the scroll on a flat rock behind her, and tried it for the first time physically, her aim being a simple gust of wind.

Gathering Chakra, she moved her hands as instructed, and… nothing happened.

Blushing slightly in embarrassment, she read over the scroll again. She had followed the instructions correctly, she just had to try again.

So she did. This time, something did happen.

She slapped herself across the face by mistake.

Ami cursed, massaging her cheek.

Water had come to her so much more easily.

A scroll clearly wasn't going to be enough here.

* * *

The young water-user strolled down the street, (flashing a fangirl the finger as she went) searching for her silver-haired sensei.

After slipping past the owner of a strange bookstore called 'Pink' which was chock-full of dirty books and the like, she found him, face shoved in a brand new volume of the Icha Icha series, giggling pervertedly.

Ami sighed, poking him in the back.

Kakashi turned around, looking up over her head, then lowered his gaze to be met with the sight of his student.

"Kakashi-sensei, can you teach me wind jutsu?" she asked the man, who was peeping over his book at her.

"No."

"Do you know who can?"

"…Go to Asuma. He can teach you. He's Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji's sensei."

"Thank you."

Well, that was simple.

* * *

After finding Asuma playing shougi, a game similar to chess with one of his students, Shikamaru, Ami explained her case to the bearded man, who listened calmly, dragging on a cigarette as he did, and he agreed to teach her.

* * *

"Listen up." Asuma said, "When manipulating the wind-type Chakra, you've got to imagine splitting your Chakra in two and grinding them together. Do it so that the two Chakra fields sharpen each other into fine pieces. The thinner and sharper, the better. Understand?"

Ami hesitated a moment, then nodded. "So it's kind of like how with water-type Chakra, you have to imagine your Chakra being pushed and pulled from yourself? When you step back, the water flows back with you to fill the space, when you push forward, it gets moved out of the space that you're taking up. When you turn, it swirls around with you. Right?"

"It's a similar line of thought." Asuma smiled. "Just don't confuse the two, and think of wind, not water. You already understand one element, but you should be very thankful for your bloodline limit, because if it weren't for that, there's no way you'd get this in less than six months."

"…Thank you, sensei." Ami said, bowing before she went to leave.

"No problem. Good luck with your training."

"I win, sensei." Shikamaru droned.

"What? Again?"

* * *

"...You conceited bitch." Sasuke growled.

Sasuke was not happy.

This damned female was driving him insane.

"Get _off_ my bed."

Baby glared at him, wagging her tail.

She had already grown rather big, no longer a kitten, but a cat.

Her egotistical attitude had also grown, and Sasuke was beginning to wonder which of them were the more arrogant.

"Move. Now."

Baby simply ignored him and began licking herself.

Sasuke's eyes widened when she lifted a back leg over her head, and he leapt forward to grab the animal and throw her off his bed.

"You are _not_ licking _your ass_ in the same place that _I sleep!_" he snarled, as he was regarded with a cold glare and a swinging tail.

Baby whipped her head around, nose and tail in the air as she strode over to and jumped out the window.

Sasuke glared as he wiped his bed with a hand, brushing away the traces of fur left behind. "Molting bitch…"

Once satisfied, he laid down on the bed, sighing.

Dark eyes flicked around the room, eventually coming to rest on the picture of team seven, and so, Ami's grinning face.

He found himself smiling slightly as he stared at her image, marveling as to just how a mere photograph of her could make him do something the combined efforts of so many other girls could not.

After a while, he sighed as he sat up, deciding to get ready for the mission today.

Their assignment would take a while, and he wouldn't be able to feed his pet.

He wasn't worried about Baby though. Whilst she was lovely and cuddly, she was also a demon that killed anything that moved.

He'd lost count of how many mangled bird, shrew and mouse corpses he'd shoveled off his doorstep. She'd even brought back a small rabbit once.

The best part was, if there was any way possible that she could get to the carcasses after he'd disposed of them, she'd bring them back again so he could look at them some more.

A lovely animal.

* * *

Despite the high probability that Kakashi would be late without fail, as per usual, he decided to go early.

Since Ami had begun joining him in the mornings, it had become slightly less unappealing to arrive three hours before his sensei. Intelligent company was nice.

Well, okay. To be fair, Sakura was also there in the mornings, and she was_ far_ smarter than he gave her credit for, but it was difficult to take someone seriously when they basically obsessed over you and made no attempt whatsoever to try and hide it. Hair the colour of candyfloss didn't exactly help either.

Although she had respectfully backed off quite a bit when he and Ami got together. He was thankful for the sake of teamwork and their weird friendship that Ami hadn't rubbed it in the pink-haired girl's face, in fact keeping it rather low-key, nor had Sakura kept up the threats. Kakashi was also rather pleased that the relationship hadn't been interfering with missions.

They were both still shy about the whole 'public affections' thing, anyway.

…What had he been thinking about?

…Oh yeah.

Anyway, his point was, cats were lovely and independent.

…As was his girlfriend.

Another thing he liked about Ami.

She didn't feel the need to hang off him. When they felt like it, they'd hang around each other. When he wanted space, she'd give it to him. That was happening a lot less often, though, and it confused him. He was unsure as to why he would even _want_ to spend time with her, for a start. Had anyone else ever asked him to come over to their house to eat or go out for a day, he would have flat out rejected, whether it was as friends or a date. But with her, he was always far happier than when he was alone.

He'd tried talking to Naruto about it, but the idiot Dobe had just teased him, saying he was turning soft, and received a hard smack over the head for it.

He wasn't soft.

Really.

And not all his thoughts eventually lead to Ami.

Honestly.

* * *

Sasuke finished packing and pulled open the door, looking down.

A sole covered in half-eaten mouse tended to make you more cautious of these things.

The boy rose an eyebrow at his butchered present for the day.

A lizard.

That was new.

* * *

Making his way to the bridge, he soon caught sight of Ami leaning against the railing at the edge, looking down into the water below, seemingly deep in thought.

She picked up on him, probably as a body of liquid, he guessed, and looked up.

A grin spread across her face. "Good morning."

"Hn." What? Of_ course_ he still grunted. He hadn't changed _that_ much.

Ami snickered. "How are you?"

He thought about his answer a moment, considering the morning he had had so far. He'd had a fight with his cat and disposed of the body of a dead reptile.

"…Good. You?"

"Alright… bit of a weird morning though."

He rose an eyebrow, silently urging her to continue.

"_Well_,"

Oh, the stressed '_well_'. This would be a long story, he could tell. Even Ami babbled every now and again, but at least her babbles were more interesting than most girls', which usually involved who called who fat, what shoes were on sale, the cutest top ever, how he was so hot, blather like that.

"thankfully, Aiko had the traps switched off this morning, because otherwise this pair of _weirdoes_ in green spandex and orange leg warmers with black bowl-cuts and the _thickest_ eyebrows, _both of them_, that I'd _ever_ seen in my life -they looked like bushy, black _caterpillars_, I'm serious- running up and down the steps to the dorm, screaming about 'youth' I think it was, would've been made into human pincushions. Every time I tried to reason with them about why I didn't want them doing it, they kept shouting about how wonderful _sweating_ was and more 'youth' and hugging each other -by the way, this was a grown man and a young boy, Sasuke. The kid was roughly our age, maybe older and the man was like, in his_ thirties_- then they invited _me _to _join_ them in their _morning training!_ Eventually I just told them to leave before I kicked them out, and they said I didn't have enough _youth! _They seemed nice enough, but they were undoubtedly the more bizarre pair of frea-people that I've _ever_ met!"

A short silence.

Well, _that_ was… interesting.

* * *

'Gah, he's smirking.' Ami thought, pouting at Sasuke's amused expression as he gazed off in another direction, her eyes eventually drifting down to her hands.

After a moment's consideration, Ami carefully took the boy's hand in hers, hoping he wouldn't pull away. He was still funny about being affectionate.

Sasuke's head jerked round and he stared at her.

"Are you okay with this?" she asked gently.

He nodded slowly, but then pulled his hand away from hers.

Ami seemed disappointed and puzzled, until she saw him wipe it on his shorts, slightly embarrassed as he mumbled something about having sweaty palms, then grinned as the boy's pale fingers slipped between her own.

They stood there for several minutes, Ami smiling happily with butterflies in her gut, Sasuke looking rather shy, but pleased all the same.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun. Hi, Ami."

Ami turned her head and smiled at her pink-haired friend, silently thanking her for both the lack of squealing and acknowledgment of her existence. "Good morning, Sakura. Sleep well?"

"Yeah… thanks."

Ami noticed a flicker of sadness in her eyes as she took in the sight of their joined hands.

She respectfully released Sasuke, who frowned slightly, despite understanding, but didn't argue.

Sakura's eyes brightened a little at the considerate action of her friend. "What about you?"

"Yeah. Had the _weirdest_ morning though!"

Sasuke tuned out as the brunette retold her story from earlier to the pinkette, who had a much more in depth conversation about it afterwards with her than he had, eventually turning to typical girl prattle.

Okay, so she did babble. She just knew better than to do it with him.

* * *

Ami sighed as she looked on at her orange-clad, screaming friend yell at her boyfriend, who clearly had no interest in what he was saying as he headed home.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke's teamwork had been getting fouler and fouler.

There were several clear examples of this throughout the week; They had been weeding a woman's garden and Naruto, desperate to outdo his teammate, had pulled out tons of greenery, which rather than weeds, had turned out to be the woman's herbs. Naruto had fallen down a waterfall when they were picking trash out of a river, and Sasuke had saved him (not without calling him a 'total moron', of course). And on a dog-walking mission, Naruto had chosen the biggest dog; a lovely creature larger than himself which dragged him straight into a trap field.

* * *

"You always stick your nose into everything!" Naruto screeched at the raven's retreating back.

"That's you, idiot." Sasuke droned, "If you don't want to owe me anything," he turned and glared challengingly at the blond, "become stronger than me."

Both boys locked eyes, Sakura and Ami grimacing on the sidelines.

'They've become even more unfriendly.' Sakura thought.

'If only fighting actually _solved _problems.' Ami thought, 'We'd have had this fixed twenty times over by now.'

A bird of prey called overhead.

"Now, then…" Kakashi said, "Shall we call it quits for today? I have to go submit the mission report now."

"Then I'm going home." Sasuke said.

"Me too." Ami agreed.

Sasuke left, and Ami followed, her house being in the same direction.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, Ami stopped, suddenly feeling very anxious.

Her boyfriend looked at her. "Nami?"

"Sasuke, can we turn back?"

The raven rose a questioning brow. "What for? I'm not apologizing to the Dobe."

"What would I tell you to apologize for? What you said was true." she chewed her lip slightly, "I've just got a bad feeling."

"…About what?"

"I don't know."

The raven rolled his eyes. "Do what you want, I'm going home."

Ami scowled at the boy, then turned and ran back towards where she had left the others.

* * *

Dashing through the village, she slid to a stop at the mouth of the path and was horrified to see Konohamaru, a young boy who was the Hokage's grandson and had chosen Naruto as his idol, being lifted up by the front of his shirt by a teenage boy dressed entirely in black. The guy in black had white and purple face paint and a large object wrapped in bandages strapped to his back. He seemed older than herself.

Beside them stood Naruto, Sakura, two small children that Ami recognized as Konohamaru's friends; Moegi and Udon, and another unfamiliar ninja, a female, again, older.

She had blonde hair that was tied up in four spiky pigtails, wore a white dress tied with a red sash, and fishnets on her legs with what appeared to be a large fan tied to her back, currently closed.

"That hurt, brat." the unfamiliar man growled.

"Stop it." the woman said, sounding annoyed, "We're going to get scolded later."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said, ruefully "I was joking around, so…" 'Who are these people?'

"Hey! Let him go!" Naruto shouted angrily.

"But I want to play around before some noisy people come." the stranger said calmly, a sick smile spreading across his face.

'They're sand shinobi.' Ami realized upon looking at their headbands, the girl's around her neck, the man's attached to a strange black hat that reminded her of a flour sack.

"Let go!" Konohamaru cried, flailing his little legs in the air.

"You're very energetic, kid."

Naruto flew at the man, but felt his legs pulled out from underneath him, seemingly by some sort of invisible force.

"Konoha's Genin are weak." the man commented.

"_Hey! If you don't let go of him, you're going to get it from me, you idiot!_" Naruto shouted angrily, then getting put in a headlock by Sakura, who growled in his ear.

"_Don't provoke him you idiot!_" Sakura cried.

The black-clad foreigner smiled sadistically. "You piss me off." He rose a fist to his waist. "I hate short people anyway. And you're so impertinent for someone younger than me. It makes me want to break you."

"_Drop him, you fucking clown-face!_" Ami barked. "_Are you really so pathetic that you have to pick on kids?_"

The man twitched his fingers and Ami's legs were pulled out from under her, much like Naruto's had been. She scowled as she pushed herself back up, glaring at the man.

The blonde woman sighed. "I'm not going to be held responsible for what you do."

"After this short kid, the short kid over there is next." the man said, lifting his fist.

Something flew through the air and hit the man's hand, causing him to drop the little brunette boy and clutch his wrist in pain. When it fell to the ground, the others realized it to be a stone. A second struck his face.

They all looked up to see none other than Sasuke sitting in a tree above, tossing a third stone up and down in his palm. "What do you think you're doing in another's village?"

Ami didn't miss the woman staring at him, a pink tinge on her cheeks. "That's my _boyfriend_ you're eyeing." she grunted. Ignoring the girl's look that seemed like a cross between both a glare and admiration, she turned to look up at the boy. "Sasuke?"

The raven rose an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"…thank you for listening."

"…Hn." he glared at the black-clad man, who glared right back.

"Another kid that pisses me off…"

"You see that girl in the blue?"

The man scowled at Ami, who returned the look twice as dangerously.

"_Don't mess with her again._" Sasuke growled, before crushing the stone in his palm to dust and letting it blow away in the breeze. "_Get lost._"

Sakura, Moegi and Udon were all admiring Sasuke, smiling widely.

Konohamaru was in tears as Naruto twiddled his thumbs.

"Naruto nii-chan, you're not cool."

Naruto dropped down to the boy's level. "I would have beaten that guy…"

Konohamaru turned his head away, clearly disbelieving, if the 'hmph' noise he made was anything to go by.

Naruto scowled. '_Sasuke…_ Why do you always stick your nose into everything like this…?'

"Oi, come down, kid." the man called.

Sasuke looked at the man with disdain.

"I hate kids like you, who think they're so clever."

"You _do realize_ that no one actually _cares_, don't you?" Ami droned. "We _don't care_ what kind of_ people_ you like, we _don't care _what kind of _food_ you don't like, we _don't care_ what kind of _make-up_ you don't like. _No one cares._"

The male sand shinobi pulled the wrapped object off his back and unwound several bandages.

"Hey! You're going to use Karasu?" the woman cried.

"Kankuro, stop."

Sasuke jumped at the unknown voice, as well as the presence that suddenly appeared.

A redheaded boy their own age with turquoise eyes, black rings around them, hung off the tree upside-down on the other side. He was dressed in a brown pair of trousers and a shirt, and had a large gourd strapped to his back. On the right side of his brow, he bore a red scar, shaped exactly like the kanji for 'love', 'ai'.

"You're a disgrace to our village." he said in a low, coarse voice.

Sakura, Naruto, Ami, the blonde and the man, now known as 'Kankuro' jumped.

"G-Gaara…"

'When did this guy appear next to me?' Sasuke wondered. 'He was as quiet as Kakashi."

The redhead's eyes looked slowly towards Sasuke.

Ami shuddered.

There was something seriously off about this guy.

"Why do you think we came all the way here to Konoha?" the redheaded boy demanded.

"Listen, Gaara," Kankuro said, "these guys started it."

"Shut up." Gaara ordered. "I'll kill you."

Kankuro was suddenly like a completely different person to when he had been threatening the others. "I was at fault." he groveled, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

Gaara turned his head towards team seven and Konohamaru and his posse. "Excuse them, you guys."

'He has unpleasant eyes.' Sasuke thought, staring at the redhead.

'He hit Kankuro's hand with a rock so easily.' Gaara thought, gazing back at the raven, 'He's good.'

Sasuke stood up on the tree limb as Gaara's body transformed into sand, reappearing before the other sand ninja.

"Let's go." the redhead said, "We didn't come here to fool around."

"I understand." Kankuro said quietly.

"Wait a moment." Sakura said, running after the foreigners.

"What is it?" the blonde woman asked.

"Judging by your hitae-ate, you are ninja from Sunagakure, the Sand Village, correct? The Country of Fire and the Country of Wind have an alliance, but a treaty prevents ninja from entering each others' countries without permission. State your purpose."

The sand ninja turned.

"According to your reasons, I will-"

"What you're looking for is closer than you think." the blonde woman sighed. "You don't know anything?" She held up a small card with her image and information on it. "This is a traffic pass. As you guessed, we're Genin of the Hidden Village of the Sand from the Country of Wind." She put the card away. "We came to the village to take the Chuunin selection exam."

"'Chuunin selection exam'?" Naruto questioned stupidly.

* * *

**Woo! They're finally here! :D**


	20. Exams, Hygiene and Spandex

**Another chapter. :D Hope you guys enjoy it!**

**I not own Naruto. ****It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Exams, Hygiene and Spandex

* * *

"What's a Chuunin selection exam?" Naruto asked.

"You all really must not know." the blonde woman said smirking.

"Nii-chan," Konohamaru piped up, "you can advance from a Genin to a Chuunin if you pass the exam."

"Really? Then I should take it too!" Naruto said excitedly.

The sand Genin went to leave again when Sasuke called out. "Hey, you there. What's your name?"

"Oh, m-me?" the blonde asked hopefully, blushing.

'No, not _you_, you _daft cow._' Ami thought, rolling her eyes.

"No, the one next to you with the gourd."

'_Yeah! Go Sasuke!_' Ami thought, mentally cackling and dancing.

"Sabaku no Gaara." The redhead said, turning to face him. "I'm also interested in you. Name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Hey, hey! What about me?" Naruto exclaimed eagerly.

"I'm not interested." Gaara said calmly, looking at Naruto as if he were stupid, which he kind of _was_.

'This is getting interesting.' Sasuke thought, whilst Naruto sought guidance from the child that idolized him.

"Konohamaru, do I look weak?"

"Weaker than Sasuke." the boy replied.

Naruto growled angrily. "Sasuke! I'm not going to lose to you!"

"What are you saying all of a sudden?" the boy droned in reply.

* * *

Team seven's Genin stood at the bridge waiting for their sensei.

Sasuke leant against the rails, bored.

Ami stood beside him with her eyes closed, still slightly drowsy.

Sakura was yelling to Naruto.

"Hey, hey, hey! Why does that person always make us wait when he's the one who called us up?"

"Because he's a lazy ass?" Ami murmured helpfully.

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto yelled.

"How is he going to compensate a girl who woke up late and had to give up on blow-drying her hair?" Sakura growled.

"I woke up late, so I couldn't wash my face or brush my teeth!" the blonde shouted.

"How dirty…" Sakura mumbled.

Ami cracked open an eye and studied the girl's head. "Sakura, your hair's fine. It'll get messy on the mission anyway. Naruto, that's revolting."

"Why are they in such a perky mood in the morning?" Sasuke muttered to her.

"Don't worry," Ami said, smiling slightly and pecking him on the cheek whilst the others weren't looking, "I'll be grumpy with you."

The raven looked surprised a moment at the unexpected kiss, then smirked smugly.

With a 'poof', Kakashi chose that moment to appear on the bridge.

"Hello, gentlemen and ladies. I got lost on the path of life."

"_Liar!_" Naruto and Sakura chorused.

"I'll get to the point." Kakashi said, "I recommended all of you to the Chuunin selection exam, so…" He handed them four slips, one each. "take these application forms."

"Chuunin exam?" Sakura repeated.

"However, the recommendation does not force you to take it. You can decide if you want to take it or not."

"Yes! I love you, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried, throwing his arms around the man.

"Cut it out, get off me!" the masked man grunted, prying the blond ninja's body away from his own, "Only those who wish to take it are to sign the applications, and five days later that, get to school by three PM and go to room 301."

Naruto was beaming. "Chuunin exam. Chuunin exam."

Ami looked at her own slip and grinned widely.

'_Konno Ami'_

_I recommend the one with the name above to the Chuunin selection exam under my name, Hatake Kakashi._

_Jounin,_

_Hatake Kakashi_

* * *

"The Chuunin exam, eh?" Naruto said as the four teammates walked back from the training grounds. "There must be a lot of strong guys."

"Like that redhead." Ami said, "Sabaku no Gaara." She suddenly became aware of Naruto scowling at Sasuke and frowned. 'Sasuke's not your enemy, Naruto…', then flicked her eyes over to her boyfriend to find him smirking eagerly, no doubt thinking of Gaara. "I can't wait to enter." she said happily.

Sakura was frowning. 'I don't want to…' She stopped walking and looked down at the ground.

Ami picked up on the lack of movement and stopped walking to look back.

'I can't even keep up with Sasuke-kun, or Ami… or even Naruto… I can't take the Chuunin exam…'

"Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl looked up to see her brunette friend staring worriedly at her.

"Sakura… you don't have to take it, you know." she said, "You can always try next year… So, please… don't force yourself to do anything you don't want to."

The pink-haired girl could only nod.

* * *

'There are so many foreigners." Ami thought to herself, fascinated by the strange weapons and hitae-ate as she walked home amongst villagers and foreigners alike, before deciding to take a shortcut through training grounds.

* * *

Jumping through the trees, she suddenly became aware of a presence in front of her, just having entered her divining range, hiding in a tree.

"Who's there?" she demanded, glaring straight at the place the stranger was. "Show yourself."

The hiding person slipped out of the concealing foliage and landed on a tree branch below.

"Sasuke?"

"Yo, Ami."

She kept her kunai raised and scowled. "I don't know how you know my name, but don't you _dare _fuck me around. That appearance doesn't match the amount of water I sensed. You're either a heavy woman, or a man."

The Sasuke impersonator released the technique, and Ami was finally able to see her opponent's appearance.

A masked rain ninja dressed in blue with a large coolie hat and a long, black cape, two umbrellas strapped to his back.

"Not bad." he commented.

"What do you want with me?" Ami asked, ignoring the man's remark.

"It'll be easy to infiltrate Konoha in the Chuunin exams." the man said. "If I kill you and take your place in the exams, it'll be easy to do."

"So you thought I'd be an easy target?"

"Exactly." the man smirked under his mask.

Ami placed a palm on her canteen and pulled out the water. "Suiton, Mizu Buyou no jutsu." she whispered, before speaking aloud again. "We'll see about that."

The man pulled one of the umbrellas off his back and pointed it at her like a spear, before opening and throwing it. It exploded into hundreds of kunai that rained down on her.

The brunette blocked the knives with the water, allowing the blades to sink slightly into the way, then flicked the liquid so that they all flew loose and ended up scattered amongst the bushes. She shot at the rain shinobi and snapped the aqua at him, hitting him square in the face.

Stunned, the man staggered, and Ami leapt forward, punching him in the ribs, face, and uppercutting his jaw, before twisting his arm and pinning him to the ground, face shoved in the dirt, kunai at his throat.

"_Still think I'm an easy target?_" she demanded. "And even if I was, there's no way a weakling like you could do _any_ damage to Konoha! The worst _you_ could do is_ sit in a flower bed!_" She pressed the knife against his neck.

The man chuckled. "You're Kakashi's student alright."

"You know of Kakashi? Explain."

"Sorry, I'd be disobeying orders if I did that."

Ami scowled. "Ugh… there's no point in threatening you." she slashed the man's neck open and sighed. "After all, you're just a water clone."

Clear liquid began to pour from his neck and he vanished, turning to a puddle before her eyes.

* * *

Kakashi sat on the top of a roof, looking up at the moon in the dead of the night.

The rain ninja Ami had fought appeared behind him.

"How were they?" the masked sensei asked.

"Although we went through the trouble of setting up a special preliminary exam, all ten rookies passed." With a bang, Umino Iruka released the transformation technique on himself. "It seems that their skills are growing, just like the three of you have said."

Kakashi gazed up at the moon. "But the real Chuunin exam isn't going to be that easy."

* * *

'Will Sakura come, I wonder?' Ami pondered as she, Sasuke and Naruto all waited outside the academy.

"Sakura-chan! You're late!"

The pinkette waved shyly. "Sorry."

Ami trotted forward and hugged the girl. "You sure about your decision?" she whispered in her ear.

"…Un." came the affirmative reply.

Ami released her, beaming.

Sakura smiled back slightly before looking at Sasuke, and a troubled look crossed her features. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun." she said quietly.

"Yeah." came the nonchalant reply.

"I get that too, don't worry about it." Ami chuckled, smiling at Sakura, though she didn't miss the strange expression the girl was wearing. 'Something's bothering her.'

* * *

Ami frowned at the pair of boys blocking the door to the room reading 301 as they knocked a male Genin back.

"You're trying to take the Chuunin exam with that kind of level?" one of them, with black, spiky hair demanded.

"Maybe you should quit, kids." the other said. He was wearing a bandanna.

"You're still just kids." the other argued.

"Please let us through." a girl in a pink, Chinese-style top with brunette hair in two buns asked, only to receive a punch in the face as she walked forward.

"How cruel!" a boy said.

"What did you say?" the spiky-haired boy said, "Listen up, we're being kind to you. The Chuunin exam is extremely difficult."

"We have seen those who gave up on becoming a ninja or became seriously injured taking this exam." the other said.

"A Chuunin is a commander of a squad."

"It's the commander's responsibility for failing any missions and the death of their subordinates. And to think, these kids are trying to…"

"What's wrong with sifting out those who aren't going to pass anyway?"

"That's a sound argument. But I will pass." Sasuke said, stepping forward. "And undo this field you've created using an illusion technique. I want to go to the third floor."

"What's he talking about?" one of the surrounding Genin asked.

"Dunno." Another replied.

"_Oh?_" one of the boys asked.

"You noticed?" the boy in the bandanna asked.

'No, he's just demented and hasn't taken his pills today.' Ami thought sarcastically, resisting the urge to speak her thoughts aloud.

"Sakura, how about you? You should have noticed first." the raven said, turning towards the pink-haired girl.

"Eh?"

"Your analyzation skills and Genjutsu know-how is the best on our squad."

"Sasuke-kun… Thank you." Sakura said, closing her eyes and smiling to herself as she savoured the raven's words, then opening them with a smug expression. "Of course. I've noticed it already."

The sign's true appearance of two zero one showed as the Genjutsu was dispelled.

"You're pretty good." the spiky-haired boy praised, "But just being able to detect it isn't enough." He shot for Sasuke with a kick and the raven went to retaliate, but a ninja leapt between them, grabbing both legs in his hands.

It was the very same boy that had been kicked away just minutes earlier.

'He's fast.' Sakura thought, stunned. 'He's different from the person who was just getting hit.'

'He stopped my kick?' Sasuke thought, shocked as he lowered his leg, the other boy rolling away. 'What's with that power in his arm?'

"Hey, you broke the promise." a boy with long, brunette hair, a white top and brown shorts said, stepping forward, along with the girl with her hair in buns. "You're the one who didn't want to gather attention by doing something that stands out."

"But…" He turned to Sakura, cheeks turning pink.

The female stranger shook her head. "Ahh… that's why."

'The bruise he had is gone.' Sasuke thought, 'It must've been fake.'

The boy stepped towards Sakura and opened his mouth to speak, but Ami interrupted him.

"You're the 'youth' guy!" she cried, pointing at the boy. "You were jogging up and down my stairs with that other one, the one that looks like you, only older!"

Sasuke rose an eyebrow. This was the guy she had been talking about?

Her description had been accurate, to say the least; black bowl-cut, green spandex, orange leg-warmers and thick, fuzzy eyebrows. She'd left out the bug-eyes though.

"Ah, yes, I recognize you-"

"_Don't come near my dorm again!_"

"Ah… okay…" he turned towards Sakura, "My name is Rock Lee. You are Sakura-san, right?"

"Huh?"

"Let's go out together!" he said, teeth seeming to shine as he smiled widely, "I'll protect you until I die!"

"No way…" Sakura replied, cringing.

"What?" Lee looked devastated.

"You're _lame_."

Naruto chuckled.

"Hey, you there." the long-haired brunette boy called to Sasuke.

Looking at him, Ami realized that he had the same eyes as Hinata. 'Another Hyuuga?'

Sasuke turned.

"Identify yourself."

Flames practically burned in Naruto's eyes as he glared at Sasuke. '_Damn it, again? They only talk to Sasuke!_'

"Calm down, Naruto, no one's asked me who I am, either." Ami said, patting Naruto on the shoulder.

"You're supposed to identify yourself before you ask." Sasuke replied.

"You're a rookie, aren't you?" the boy asked. "How old are you?"

"I'm not obligated to answer that." the raven replied.

"What?" the brunette boy demanded, scowling.

The girl behind him smiled. 'He's cute.'

Ami caught her eye, nodded meaningfully towards Sasuke, then knitted her eyebrows apologetically. She was pleased when the other girl understood and nodded respectfully, and surprised when she winked at her.

'Is she complimenting me on having such a cute boyfriend? She must like someone else.' Ami thought happily, then glanced at the long-haired brunette boy, then back at the girl, and rose her eyebrows in question.

The other brunette smiled and shrugged.

Sasuke turned and stalked off back towards his teammates, Ami trotting back after him, both stopping to stare at Lee and Naruto leaning against the wall, wallowing in their own misery.

"I'm 'lame'?"

"No one cares about me…"

Sakura beamed. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto, Ami, let's go!" she said, pulling the boys along by their hands.

"Don't pull." Sasuke complained.

* * *

Team seven were walking towards the outdoors when a voice called out to them.

"You there, with the sharp eyes. Please wait a moment."

Team seven turned.

It was Lee.

Naruto looked confused, Sakura looked repulsed, Ami looked curious and Sasuke looked disinterested.

"What is it?" Sasuke grunted.

"Will you fight me, right here, right now?"

"Fight you right here, right now?"

"Yes. My name is Rock Lee."

"We remember you." Ami sighed, adding under her breath; "You're somewhat difficult to forget."

"You're supposed to identify yourself before asking for someone else's name, right, Uchiha Sasuke-kun?" the spandex-clad ninja said.

Sasuke's eye's widened slightly. "So you know my name?"

"I would like to fight you! I would like to see how my moves will do against a descendant of the genius ninja clan. Also…" He looked at Sakura, who shuddered as he blushed. "Sakura-san. I love you."

"_No!_" the girl screeched, shaking her head furiously, "I _hate_ those eyelashes! Your hairstyle, those fuzzy eyebrows and everything about you is too damn _weird_ for me!"

"You're an angel." he blew her a kiss.

"_Nooo!_ Just leave me alone!"

Veins were bulging in Naruto's head. '_It's all about Sasuke again!_'

"So you're challenging me knowing my name is Uchiha? Sorry to say this, but you're ignorant. Do you want to see what this name of Uchiha is capable of, Fuzzy Brows?"

"Please." Lee said, shifting into a fighting stance.

"Wait!" Naruto called.

The others looked at him.

"I'll fight the fuzzy eyebrows guy."

'Won't anyone call him by name?' Ami wondered. 'He'll end up with a complex.'

"Hey, don't butt in-" Sakura began.

"Don't worry, it'll only take five minutes."

"It's not you I want to fight." Lee said, "It's the Uchiha."

"Geez, everyone is annoying me with this 'Sasuke, Sasuke' thing!" Naruto roared, flying at Lee, fist raised.

With two fingers, it was deflected and the blond was sent tumbling to the ground. Naruto went to kick him next, but before he even knew what had happened, he was sent spinning on his rear into a wall and knocked unconscious.

'He's strong.' Sakura thought.

'Wow. I know it's cruel to think this, but no one takes him seriously with that appearance.' Ami thought, 'It's like a dirty trick.'

"I declare this now. You cannot defeat me, because, I am the strongest of the Konoha Genin right now."

Sasuke smirked. "Interesting. I'll accept it."

"Sasuke…" Ami sighed. "Don't. Please."

"Don't Sasuke-kun." Sakura said. "We have less than thirty minutes to turn in our applications."

"Don't worry. This'll only take five minutes." Sasuke said, then darted at Lee.

The Uchiha went to punch, but Lee was already behind him with a kick. Sasuke ducked, but another was already coming.

'I can't dodge." he thought, bringing up his arms in a guard, but went flying through the air and hit the ground, landing in a heap.

The kick had gone through his guard and hit him square in the face.

He painfully pushed himself up.

'Was that Ninjutsu or Genjutsu?' Sasuke wondered, scowling at the boy.

'Just as I thought, you can still stand up.' Lee thought.

"Oh well, I'll use this time to get used to using my 'things'." Sasuke said, smirking. "I'll show you."

'Sharingan?' Ami thought, shocked 'He's using those!'

Sasuke shot at Lee.

Sakura was beaming. 'With Sharingan there's no way he'll lose! Sasuke-kun is amazing!'

'Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, Sharingan will see through it.' Sasuke thought.

Sasuke went flying again, this time from a kick to the jaw.

Ami gaped.

Sakura gasped. 'What? Sharingan was…?'

'I can't detect it with my Sharingan?' Sasuke thought, shocked, 'Are his moves really…?'

"Yes." Lee said, confirming their thoughts aloud, "My moves are neither Ninjutsu or Genjutsu."

A brawl ensued, Sasuke being beaten badly.

Lee appeared behind the Uchiha. "That's right. My moves are only Taijutsu. Sasuke-kun. You may not be able to believe it right away, but-"

"_Damn it!_" the raven snarled, trying to back-knuckle the boy, but easily dodged by him.

"I hear that Sharingan has the ability to see through Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu." Lee said, "You can definitely see through and deal with Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, that require the use of seals and Chakra, but for Taijutsu, hand-to-hand combat, it's a little different."

"What do you mean?" the raven scowled.

"Even if you can see my movements with your Sharingan, if your body can't keep up, it doesn't matter."

Sasuke scowled.

"Do you know that there are genius-types and hard-working types among the strong?" Lee questioned, "Your Sharingan is a genius-type that carries the blood of the Uchiha. I am a hard-working type that continuously improved my hand-to-hand combat."

Sasuke threw a punch that came nowhere close to hitting Lee.

"Your Sharingan and my ultimate hand-to-hand combat skills are a bad combination."

Sasuke knew he had to guard, but as Lee had said, his body wasn't fast enough. For a third time, he was sent flying. Next thing, Lee was behind him in the air.

"Shadow Dance. And I will prove to you with this," the bandages wrapped around his hands and forearms coming loose, "that hard work surpasses genius."

'What's he going to do?' Sasuke thought, panicking.

Lee's eyes widened as the bandage was pinned to the wall with a paper pinwheel.

The others looked to see the source of the object, and found a… big, red and yellow… turtle. With a hitae-ate hung around its neck. "Stop right there, Lee."

'It speaks?' Ami thought, shocked.

Lee dropped from the air, down in front of the creature, head bowed.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, running and catching the boy as he fell from the air, Ami right behind her.

"Nice catch, Sakura!"

* * *

Naruto was utterly confused as he looked around himself, having just reawakened, 'Sasuke was beaten? What happened after I fainted?'

* * *

"Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. 'He's disturbed… He couldn't even fall safely…'

"Show me your face," Ami said, turning him towards herself.

He winced as her hand pressed a bruise in the process. "Don't touch it!"

"Sorry…" Ami frowned as she examined the mark. 'It looks so painful… that guy probably kicks like a horse. God, I wish I could use healing…' She pulled out a small tub and rubbed a small amount on the area. "Sorry. That's all I can do. It should help a bit though."

* * *

"You were watching?" Lee asked nervously.

"Lee, that move is _forbidden_."

"Sorry, I got carried away."

The turtle glared and Lee flinched in fear.

* * *

Ami scowled at the boy in green as he tried to justify his actions to the strange animal.

Naruto ran over to the others "Hey, hey."

"What?" Sakura asked.

"That's a turtle, right? Right?"

"Isn't that obvious just by looking?" Sakura demanded.

"So... a turtle can become a teacher too?"

"_I don't know!_"

"That's not his teacher, his teacher looks like him, remember?" Ami said.

Sasuke wiped his mouth, glaring. "Damn it… I lost to these weird guys…?"

* * *

"Are you prepared to face the consequences for your actions?"

"Yes."

"Very well. I'll leave the rest to you."

With a bang of smoke, a man looking just like Lee, minus the bug-eyes and wearing a Chuunin vest, stood atop the turtle, in possibly the gayest pose any of them had ever seen.

"You guys are in the springtime of your life, aren't you?" he yelled.

Team seven stared with various expressions of horror and shock.

"An even bigger weirdo came out!" Naruto screeched.

"Yo, Lee." the teacher grinned, his white teeth almost seeming to shine.

"Super lame, super ugly hair…" Sakura mumbled, disgusted.

"Super eyebrows…" Naruto added.

"This was the other weirdo on my stairs!" Ami cried.

"Stop making fun of Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled angrily.

"The hell I won't!" Naruto screeched in reply, spit flying, "We don't know how to react with all of these weird things!"

"What did you say!"

"Come here, Lee."

Lee turned cautiously towards his teacher, who raised his fist.

"You… STUPID BASTARD!" the man roared, emphasizing his anger with a devastating blow to the boy's face.

This time, Lee went flying.

Gai strode over to his fallen student and knelt beside him. "You… you…"

"Sensei…!"

Out of nowhere tears began to flow out of their eyes, and the amount of passion the over-the-top pair had seemed to generate a seaside sunset all by itself.

"Lee."

"Sensei! I… I…"

"It's okay Lee… don't say any more."

Lee flung himself at Gai in a hug. "_Sensei!_"

"_Lee!_"

Orange waves crashed before a sunset and having Kakashi suddenly didn't seem so bad.

"I'd _rather_ have a tardy porn-addict than _this_ guy." Ami muttered.

'I lost to him…' Sasuke thought, unsure of whether he felt more like crawling under a rock or killing them both.

"Yes, this is youth." Gai said.

"_Sensei!_"

Team seven looked on, disgusted.

"How have their teammates not murdered them?" Ami wondered aloud.

"That kind of situation isn't so bad." Naruto commented.

"Idiot!" Sakura yelled, "It's dangerous! Too dangerous!"

"I'd rather die." Ami droned.

"It's okay, Lee." Gai said, placing a hand on his shoulder, still crying. "It's normal to make mistakes when you're young."

"You're too kind, sensei." Lee sniveled.

"Now, run one hundred laps around the training grounds in the sunset!"

"Yes, sensei!"

'It's three in the afternoon...' Sakura mumbled.

"Let's go!"

"Yes!"

"Hey, wait a second!" Naruto cried. "We were still talking!"

"What are you going to do about the Chuunin exam?" Sakura asked. "There isn't any time left!"

"Oh, yeah." Gai said, embarrassed, "Lee, I'm going to punish you for fighting and breaking a promise after the exam, okay?"

"Yes."

Another gay pose. "Do five hundred laps!"

"Yes, sir!"

"How stupid." Sakura muttered.

"Hey, hey, so what's that turtle?" Naruto asked.

Gai looked at the Team Seven Genin. 'Those are Kakashi's…'

Sakura grimaced. "He's looking our way!"

"You three, is Kakashi-sensei doing well?" Gai asked.

"You know Kakashi?" Sasuke questioned.

"I don't just know him…" Gai chuckled. "We're eternal rivals!"

"That's so fake!" Sakura and Naruto cried.

"How rude!" Lee cried, "Gai-sensei is really-!"

"It's fine. Don't say it aloud, show it in your attitude."

Ami gasped as Gai vanished from in front of them and instantly appeared behind.

"The record stands at fifty wins and forty-nine losses." Gai said.

The Genin span round.

'When…?' Sasuke wondered, shaking.

"When did he…?" Naruto choked out.

"Let me just tell you that I'm stronger than Kakashi." Gai said, teeth shining with another smile.

Sasuke was glaring at the man and quivering. 'What…? he's fast… His speed is definitely better than Kakashi's. Is he human…?'

"How's that?" Lee demanded, "Gai-sensei is amazing, isn't he?"

'Damn it…' Sasuke thought furiously.

"Lee caused you trouble," Gai said, "but please forgive him for the sake of my face. This _refreshing face_, that is."

Sasuke was shaking with anger. 'He's better than Kakashi…? Damn it, he's… not bluffing…'

"Lee and the three of you should get to the classroom soon." Gai said, before throwing a kunai at the pinwheel fastening Lee's bandages to the wall, knocking it away, freeing the boy.

As Lee began to wind up his bandages, something caught Ami's eye.

His knuckles were in pieces, skinned all over and four stitches holding a cut closed.

'What the hell…? His _hands…_'

"Do your best, Lee!" Gai called.

"Yes!"

Gai vanished in a bang of smoke, as did the turtle.

"Sasuke-kun." Lee said.

The raven turned to him.

"Let me say this before I go. To be honest, I came here to test my skills."

Sasuke glared.

"I lied a while ago. The strongest of the Konoha Genin is on my team. I entered this exam to defeat him. And you are one of my targets as well."

Sasuke was shaking again.

"Prepare yourself for the exam!" Lee said, before running and flipping back up over the railing of the stairs.

Sasuke was raging.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura mumbled.

"Heh, looks like the Uchiha clan isn't that great after all." Naruto said plainly.

"Naruto." Ami said, glaring furiously, "You're my friend, I love you, but with all due respect, _fuck off_."

"_Shut up._" the Uchiha snarled at the boy. "Next time, I'll_ slaughter_ him."

"You lost so badly though." the blond sneered.

"What's with you, Naruto!" Sakura demanded in a hushed whisper.

"You're already Sakura's punchbag, so tell me, Naruto, do you want to spread yourself around a bit more?" Ami growled.

Sasuke glared at the boy fiercely. Murdering Naruto seemed very appealing at the moment.

The blond's face softened slightly and he looked down at the ground. "You saw his hands, right?"

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"That fuzzy eyebrow guy must have trained a lot, every day. He trained more than you. That's all there is to it."

The raven was silent a moment before clenching his fist. "Interesting…" he smirked, a determined look appearing in his eyes. "This is getting interesting… The Chuunin Exam, that is."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah!"

The girls smiled.

"Let's go, Ami, Naruto, Sakura!"

'He's right.' Ami thought, 'It is getting interesting.

* * *

**Woo! I've been binging on Father Ted this last week. A lot of you probably won't know what that is, since it's Irish, but if you like things like Monty Python, you'll love the show Father Ted. It's the same kind of humor. :D**

**Basically there are these three priests living on this island together with their housekeeper who basically _lives_ to make tea and they're always getting into these mad situations, going for a holiday or a bishop visiting turning into an absolute disaster. One's normal, another's an absolute idiot (borderline retarded and completely innocent) and the other's a drunk old pervert (and my favourite character, Father Jack) who hasn't been sober for twelve years and has a vocabulary that basically consists of four words; 'drink', 'feck', 'arse' and 'girls'.**

**It. Is. _Hysterical._**

**Google it. ****Now. :D**


	21. Cheating, Areas and Survival

**I went to an anime convention! :D My first time ever. I was dressed as Tsunade. =w= It was SO cool. I bought so much stuff. But I wasn't there the first day so I missed out on all the really popular stuff. eg. Mudkip hats, Any really cute pokemon plushies, anything with Sasuke, etc. I still got lots of cool stuff the last two days, though! :D**

**I know that this chapter is boring, but there's really not a lot I can do about it. D: I shortened the stuff we know as much as I could without it being one big summary, but I'm still rather new to this, so I may not have done the best job in the world. Guidance is much appreciated. :D**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Cheating, Areas and Survival

* * *

'They don't like us very much.' Ami thought calmly as she looked at the roomful foreign ninja, all glaring at them, 'Probably because we're rookies… God, they look scary. There's so many, too. I-'

"Sasuke-kun, you're late!"

'Oh, _crap__._' Ami sighed, turning to find the blonde fangirl from the academy hugging Sasuke from behind around the neck, as the raven looked at her like a piece of shit he had just scraped off his shoe.

"I've been eagerly waiting for you ever since I heard that I could see you for the first time in a long time." the blonde beamed, still hanging off him.

"Aww, he's been feeling exactly the same." Ami said, smiling sweetly.

"_Really?_"

"_No_."

"Get away from Sasuke-kun, you _Ino-pig!_" Sakura yelled angrily. Even though she wasn't after Sasuke as much (though she still liked him), out of principle, there was no way she'd lose to Ino.

"Oh, my, it's you, Sakura." the blonde said, "Your forehead is wide and you're ugly, as usual."

"_What was that?_"

Ino pulled a face at them both. Very mature, indeed.

"Sasuke's mine." Ino smiled and the raven shrugged her off.

"No, I'm not." he grunted, walking over to beside Ami, who smiled.

"What, are you four going to take this troublesome exam, too?"

Ami rose a brow at who had just come over. 'Oh, Shikamaru.'

"Hey, it's the idiot trio." Naruto said.

"Stop calling us that." the lazy Genin complained, "Troublesome…"

"Yeah! Found you all!" a voice called. This time, it was Kiba, Akamaru bobbing on his head, Hinata and Shino following behind him. "So, I see that everyone is here."

"H-hello." the white-eyed girl stuttered.

Naruto looked at Hinata and her cheeks reddened as she looked down at the ground.

Ami rolled her eyes. 'Good grief, read the signs, Naruto. They're as neon as you.'

"What, so you three made it too? Troublesome…"

"I see." Kiba said, "So all ten Genin rookies this year are going to take the exam. How far do you think we can get, Sasuke-kun?"

"You seem to be confident, Kiba." Sasuke smirked.

"We trained like hell. We won't lose to you."

"Shut up." Naruto said, "Putting Sasuke aside, I won't lose to you."

"Sorry, Naruto-kun." Hinata said, playing with her fingers, "Kiba-kun didn't mean it that way…"

"What?"

Another blush.

Chouji stepped towards Kiba, but Shino stepped between them.

"What?" the chubby boy scowled.

Shino looked down silently at a small insect scurrying across the floor. "Don't step on it."

"Huh?"

"I said, don't step on it."

"Are you going to eat that?"

Silence followed Chouji's question, broken by a squeal.

"_OmigodAmi!_"

Ami was suddenly hit from behind with a body. Upon turning her head, she realized it to be that of a girl.

"Kohaku?"

"_OmigodhowareyouIcan'tbelieveyou'rehere!_"

Ami smiled. "Great, thanks. You?"

Kohaku released her. "I'm okaaaaaaaaay… _Oh! _Did you do it? Did you get that guy?"

"Turn your head forty-five degrees to your right."

Kohaku did and gaped at the sight of Sasuke, who stared back blankly.

"Sasuke, this is Kohaku, a friend from the village I used to live in. Kohaku, this is Sasuke, my boyfriend and the person Kaede was screeching about."

Kohaku grinned at the memory as Sasuke rose a brow.

"By the way, has anyone forgotten that?" Ami asked hopefully.

The black-haired girl snickered and shook her head. "No. Actually when we talk about you, it's the main thing that springs to mind."

"Ah. Crap."

"Anyway, so you're Ami's boyfriend, huh? Nice to meet you! I've got to get back to my team now, but I'll talk to you again! Bye bye!"

As she left, Sasuke gave Ami a look that clearly said; 'How could you stand her?'

The brunette just smiled.

"Hey, you guys." a Konoha ninja a few years older said, coming over to them. He had silver hair tied back in a ponytail, glasses and was dressed in purple. "You should quiet down a little. You're the ten rookies that just graduated from the academy, correct? You're all fooling around with those cute faces… Geez, this isn't a field trip."

"Who are you to tell us that?" Ino demanded rudely.

"I am Yakushi Kabuto. Look around you."

The Genin did, and found that every single ninja was glaring at them.

"The ones behind you are from the Hidden Village of Rain. They have a short temper. Everyone is tense since it's before the exam. I warned you so you won't get picked on." Kabuto smiled to himself, "I guess it can't be helped though, since you are just rookies who don't know anything."

* * *

The Genin watched in curiosity as Kabuto proceeded to tell them that this was his seventh time in the Chuunin exam, before sharing some information on the two ninja, Sabaku no Gaara and Rock Lee, learning that it was the first time taking the exam for both of them, Lee had incredible Taijutsu, but his other skills were terrible, and Gaara had done a B-rank mission as a Genin, also having returned from every one of his missions unharmed.

* * *

Naruto was shaking at the end of the explanation.

Worrying about him, Sakura went to comfort the boy, just before the blond erupted in a burst of shouting, spinning around and pointing at the other ninja in the room, giving them an introduction of; "_My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm not going to lose to any of you! Got that?_" much to their and the other rookies' displeasure.

Two kunai were flung at Kabuto by a sound ninja after Naruto's loud declaration, a second Otogakure shinobi with a metal device of some sort on his arm taking a swing at him. Kabuto clearly dodged both attacks, but his glasses shattered and he dropped to the floor before vomiting.

* * *

"He threw up!" Naruto said

"Kabuto-san!" Sakura cried.

They both ran to him and helped him up.

"Hey, Kabuto!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Really?"

"You're not as good as I thought for a veteran who took the exam four years running." one of the sound ninja said. He had bandages all over his head and face, bar his left eye, and constantly walked in a crab-like position with a large, hairy cloak of sorts on his back and long sleeves that covered his hands.

"Write this in your card." the other male sound shinobi, with black hair and a tan-coloured tunic with the Kanji for death written down the front three times, said, "The three from the Hidden Village of Sound, Otogakure, will definitely become Chuunin."

'Kabuto should have dodged that attack.' Sasuke thought, 'But why did he vomit?'

A bang of smoke exploded at the top of the room. "Quiet down! You punks!" a male voice yelled from within.

As the fog cleared, a scarred man in a long, black cloak and bandanna could be seen, many examiners in gray uniforms behind him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." the scarred man said, "I am the examiner of the first test of the Chuunin Selection Exam, Morino Ibiki."

* * *

'A written test?' Ami thought, flipping over the paper in front of her. 'Not really what I was expecting.'

As she read down through the questions, the mental curses became louder and fouler with each problem.

She finished reading the paper.

Her mind was blank.

There was no way in hell that she would be able to answer a single question on this thing.

'… Shit. If I answer nothing, the whole team fails. I have to try and carry Naruto too. Sakura and Sasuke… they should manage alright, and they're carrying him with me… Sakura, I envy your brains, but I'll have to cheat…' She frowned at the examiners. 'without getting caught.'

Five minutes later, the person in front of her began to write, and so, with a huge amount of concentration (thank god for the silence in exams), she wrote down the answer to the first question by copying the movements of the water in the boy's fingers with her own. Him being less than a metre away made it wonderfully, well, not easy, but… possible in the current circumstances. The handwriting was appalling though, and barely legible.

'Either I'm crap at this or he has some hideous handwriting.' Ami thought as she tried to decipher just what she had scrawled. 'I hope he at least got it right.'

* * *

Ami glanced at the clock.

Ten minutes were left.

Ami had spent more time translating her own answers than she had writing them. She scribbled down and cleaned up the answer to problem eight from a girl two seats to her left and smirked, vaguely noting that another person was failed. 'I should be able to get the ninth one before the time is up, and then hopefully answer the tenth they give when the exam has been going for forty-five minutes.'

* * *

"I will now give the tenth problem!" Ibiki announced.

'I'm ready.' Ami thought.

"Yes, but before that, there is something I must say… There will be one special rule for this last question."

* * *

Ami was freaking out as she went over the information in her head, 'We can choose whether or not we take it. If we don't take it, we and our teammates fail, but if we take it and get it wrong, we lose the chance to take the Chuunin Exam ever again! If I don't want to take it, I raise my hand now… _Dammit…!_ Sasuke! Naruto! Sakura! I don't want you guys to fail! But I don't know if I can handle this!'

One person raised their hand, and next thing they knew, nearly everyone was.

Ami was shaking. '_WHAT DO I DO?_"

Then, out of the corner of her eye, her jaw dropped as Naruto lifted his quivering hand… and slammed it down on the desk.

She jumped.

"_Screw you! I'm not going to run away! I'll take this problem! Even if I stay a Genin forever, I'm going to become Hokage no matter what anyway!_' He got to his feet, still yelling at the examiner as the others looked on, shocked. "_I'M NOT SCARED!_"

Ami was speechless as she gaped at Naruto, who plopped down stubbornly into his seat. 'He wasn't even _thinking_ about us…'

"I ask one more time." Ibiki said, "This is the choice that will impact your life. If you want to quit, now is the chance."

"I'm not going to take back my words." Naruto said, "That's my Way of the Ninja."

'…Fuck it.' Ami decided, folding her arms, 'I'm with Naruto! You keep changing the rules anyway, so what's to say you won't change that Chuunin Exam thing as well! Give me the tenth question already!'

Ibiki looked around at the class, now filled with resolve because of Naruto, nodded to the other examiners, then spoke; "Nice determination." he said to the class, "Then… for the first exam, everyone here… passes!"

Every single person in the room's jaw dropped.

It was the bell test all over again.

* * *

'I was _not_ expecting that.' Ami thought to herself, as she sat on the couch, staring at the television but not really seeing, 'I mean, sure it makes sense, the whole, 'if you can't handle this tenth question thing how will you cope with life and death situations on the battlefield' and the first nine questions being to test our information gathering skills, but… oh, who cares, _wahey_ we passed the first test.'

Aiko splattered a spider on the wall with a swatter and the phone rang.

"I'll get it." the elder sister said, getting up from the sofa and walking over to the counter, which she then leant against as she placed the receiver to her ear. "Hello, Keijousai Girl's Dorm. Landlady, Konno Ami, speaking."

"Someone sounds professional." the voice on the other end teased.

Ami couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Hey, Sasuke."

"Hey. What did you think of today?"

"Well, confusing, nerve-wracking, and similar adjectives. What about you?"

"About the same-you _bitch!_"

Ami almost dropped the phone. 'Is he talking to _me?_'

There was a noise of Sasuke shouting and a door slamming, cursing, then angry stomping noises as he marched back to the phone.

There were several seconds of Sasuke breathing heavily before Ami spoke.

"…Going to explain?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The _damn_ cat just sprayed my curtains!"

"…Do female cats spray?"

"This one does… She fights too… Ami, you gave me a _brutal_ animal as a pet."

"She can't be _that_ bad."

"Ami, I found a _dead cat _on my doorstep today. A _cat_. Not a _bird_. Not a _mouse_. Not even a _rabbit_. Somebody's _cat_."

Ami wasn't sure what to say to that.

Sasuke was still breathing heavily.

"…You're the one that wanted her."

"…"

"As long as she doesn't bring home any small children."

"You're not helping."

"I don't really see how I can."

"'Baby' doesn't suit her."

"Maybe she's the devil's baby."

"She's the devil itself, I'm renaming her 'Satan'."

"Good luck with that, but she probably won't answer to it."

Sasuke sighed. "I miss when she was cuddly. Or at least sane-how the hell did you get back in?"

A meow sounded on the other end of the phone and Ami chuckled at Sasuke's grumble of '_fucking cat_' as Baby clambered up his clothes and onto his shoulder.

"Well, at least you've got me now." Ami grinned.

"True, but this thing is bipolar, I _swear_. One minute it looks at me like a lump of crap, and the next it's slobbering all over me and headbutting my face wanting to be-_fine_, I'll pet you. _Cow_… _Don't lick my face!_ You've just been licking your _ass_ after you _pissed_ on my _curtains!_"

Ami laughed. "She loves you, really."

A loud meow came down the line.

"Hello, Baby."

There was a whine as Sasuke pulled her away from the phone. "Ami, do you think you'll be able to handle the rest of the exam?" he asked, concerned, although trying to dull it like the stiff person he was, "You weren't exactly bursting with confidence today during that tenth question."

Ami thought about the boy's words for several seconds.

"Be honest." Sasuke ordered.

She sighed. "Sasuke. I'm _always_ honest with you. Maybe even _too _honest."

"…I guess that's true."

Ami thought for several seconds, listening to Baby purring down the receiver. "…I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I've gotten my guts back. I'll be fine. Worry about yourself. And don't die. Again."

A growl came from the other side. "Are you _ever_ going to forget about that?"

Ami rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Right after I forget my own name."

"…Ami …Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Are you alone in the room?"

"…No."

"Can you take this call in private?"

"Yeah… hang on, I'll head up to my room. Call me again in a minute."

* * *

The phone rang ninety seconds later.

Ami picked it up. "Hello?"

"Yeah… it's me."

"So, what did you want to ask me, Sasuke?"

"What I wanted to ask… was… how… Damn it…"

"Sasuke?" Ami said gently, sensing the discomfort in his voice. "Just say it. Go on."

"How… did you… handle killing?"

She almost dropped the telephone as Sasuke began babbling on the other end.

"We might need to kill in this exam Ami, and I want to know that you'll be able to handle it! Also… I need to be able to handle it as well! I wouldn't ask you this… but… I don't know who else I can really ask this question… I need to know! Also…"

"That man you want to kill, right?" she asked, voice low, "Your goal."

"…yes. That too."

Ami was silent.

Sasuke cursed. "Oh, _god! _Ami, I'm sorry! I had no right-"

"_No!_" the girl cried suddenly. "No… no, you have every right… I'm just trying to think how to answer."

There was a long silence.

Ami finally spoke, "It's… well, it's different for everyone, Sasuke. The sick little child who rips the wings off flies would probably love it, and the kid who likes stories with a happy ending and has always lived a sheltered life would hate it. Me… I'm not really sure what I think of it. I was introduced to death at a young age, so I've long accepted it as a part of life as a shinobi. I… Dammit, I've only killed _once_, Sasuke! I don't know that well. But, based on my limited personal experience… I… I guess I don't like killing, but I don't hate it. Could I do it again? Yes. Would I have nightmares or feel guilty? Maybe. I honestly don't know. All I know is that if you guys were in danger, I'd kill the person endangering you without hesitation. I talked to Haruka, an ANBU woman in the dorm, and she said that it was good for a shinobi to understand their role. Zabuza and Haku understood being a tool, and while Naruto prefers not to think of himself that way, I can't manage to disillusion myself. It's probably because of how my father died. I really don't know what else to tell you."

"…I …I see…" the raven stammered on the other end.

"…Are you disgusted?" she asked shyly.

"…No. I've never killed before, so how would I know what you're meant to feel? You're honest, Ami. That's something I… like about you. I'd never hate you for it."

Ami was silent a moment. "Why did you hesitate before you said 'like'?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke said nothing for several seconds, then sighed heavily. "Sorry. I'm so shit at this."

"At what?"

"_This_. Love, affection, that whole… _area_."

"Who's area is it?" Ami chuckled.

Sasuke muttered an inaudible reply.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

"Naruto's…" the boy murmured shyly, "He's much better with people than I am."

Ami smiled. "Don't worry about it. You've improved tons. Sorry I'm so crap at explaining things."

"And cooking." the raven couldn't help but add.

"Yes, and cooking."

"Did _anything_ I taught you sink in?"

"Yeah, but then I burned the pot, remember? And I haven't been let back in the kitchen since. Being out of practice made me rusty."

"'_Rusty_' is an understatement."

Ami laughed. "Thank goodness we have _you_ around. If we didn't, Naruto, Sakura and I would either starve or poison ourselves."

"True, true, I _am_ wonderful, aren't I?"

"But of course, Uchiha-sama." Ami said, chortling, "I'm mock-bowing at the moment, by the way."

"Hn… Anyway, good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks. You too."

"See you then."

"See you."

With that, they both hung up the phone, Sasuke returning to petting Baby, who bit him five minutes later and received a kick up the ass for it, Ami sliding down a passage she thought went to the kitchen and ending up in the basement, eventually finding her way to the desired room to get a sandwich for supper, only to discover that the last of the chicken had been eaten and she was left with an option of cabbage, egg, or something bright pink that smelled strongly of vinegar.

* * *

The Genin who had progressed to the second part of the Chuunin exam stood before a large wire fence around and area of forest _covered_ with large warning signs.

"This is where the second exam will take place." the second examiner, a violet-haired woman in fishnets, a brown skirt and long, beige trenchcoat, Mitarashi Anko said, "The forty-fourth training area. Also know as the Forest of Death."

* * *

Ami swore as she blundered through the forest, a tree branch smacking her in the face as she tried to find firewood.

So far, they'd been attacked by two fake Narutos, lost the real Naruto, fought a creepy grass ninja who's mere killing intent had made Sasuke vomit, Naruto had come back in the middle of aforementioned fight and she had gotten separated from the others five minutes later. Having been knocked out by a blow to the gut and woken up somewhere that definitely wasn't where they had been fighting with a giant bear the size of an elephant standing over her, ready to eat her, and still with no idea what the outcome of the fight had been, it was understandable as to why she was in a bad mood.

'Thank fuck I wasn't eaten.' she thought, scowling as she sat on a log and chewed on several berries she had recognised as being safe to eat.

"Well, well, what have we here?" a voice laughed.

Ami simultaneously jumped up and spun round, meeting the eyes of a blue-haired ninja in dark green and brown clothing as she dropped the berries and yanked out a kunai from her holster. Checking his hitae-ate, she saw that he was a lightning shinobi.

Two more came out behind him. A boy in a blue kimono with spiky, brunette hair, and a blonde girl in red.

"You get lost little girl?"

Ami's face darkened. "Get the hell away from me. I don't have a scroll."

The blue-haired boy shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I just feel like a bit of fun. If you're lying, it's just a bonus."

"You're a rookie, aren't you?" the red-dressed girl asked.

Ami simply glared in reply.

"Yeah, you're right, Yuuki-_whoa_, you kill that thing?" the blue-haired boy exclaimed, pointing at the bear, before giving a sadistic grin. "Beating her will be fun. Look at that baby face. I can't wait to _break_ it."

Ami kept her glare. 'You're not meant to underestimate your enemy. But I'm not telling him that. I'll take advantage of his stupidity.'

He made several hand signs and blue lightning crackled in his palm.

'_Shit._ He has lightning. My wind isn't good enough to defend against it yet. If I get hit by that even _once_ I'll straight-out die.'

She shot for them, throwing kunai that were dodged whilst leaping out of the way of a thunderbolt as well, terror spiking as she momentarily flinched.

"You'll have to do better than that, rookie!" the blonde yelled, appearing behind Ami and kicking her in the side, knocking her against a tree.

As she tried to get up, Ami was grabbed from behind by the brunette boy.

"Fuck." she grunted, vice grip holding her in place. With a jolt of surprise, she realized that her Chakra was being sucked out, little by little. The process was slow, the ninja holding her wasn't terribly fast, but it was definitely happening.

A blue-haired ninja pulled her face up to look at him by the chin.

"Your Chakra's being drained." he cackled. "Give us the scroll, and maybe we'll let you go."

"You don't really believe I'm that stupid, do you?" the girl spat back. "Besides, I _don't_ have it."

The cobalt-haired man scowled, then released her face roughly before slapping her across the cheek. "Fine. Pretty soon, you'll die. Once we've completely drained you, and that happens, we'll search you. If you're actually telling the truth, we'll just go after your friends."

"You're effectively drinking poison, you know." Ami said, not bothering to struggle, "Release me for your own good. My Chakra isn't nice to absorb."

The man holding Ami retched. "The fuck…?" he grunted, face paling.

"See? You've only taken in a little and you already feel ill."

He dropped to his knees, removing his arms and vomited into the bushes.

"_What the hell…?_" the blue-haired ninja exclaimed. "Get up you _moron!_"

* * *

Those in the Konno clan with the bloodline ability of Tsukunaimen were born with Chakra more concentrated than others.

Tsukunaimen was a deadly, often fatal, water technique in which the user's Chakra was injected into the enemy's body over a course of three to five seconds to then be used to move water inside the enemy's body to destroy insides, arteries, organs, or even rip off appendages and limbs by moving the bodily fluids to cause a build-up of pressure.

Their Chakra was particularly condensed in order to avoid being mixed with and broken down by the Chakra of enemies when pumped into their body for Tsukunaimen, and to help keep them going since less is needed for techniques using injection. As a result, taking in large amounts by means such as absorbing often ended with the attacker becoming ill due to the potent, foreign substance.

However, Tsukunaimen, due to its time requirement, which doesn't seem long in most cases, but during a fight between ninja could be the difference between life or death, is really only good as a last resort when you have no weapons left and can barely move, and this Chakra concentration also meant that those with Tsukunaimen were unable to perform any sort of medical techniques, and healing techniques were far less effective, if at all, on them, due to their own Chakra constantly destroying the healer's once it entered their body. It also caused absorption techniques used by them to give no benefits besides weakening their enemy, Chakra taken in instantly being dissolved.

The Konohagakure water-user sighed sadly. 'Sorry, but I can't let my friends get in danger because of me being soft with you, so I'm going to have no mercy. You were dead as soon as you took in my Chakra.' She clapped her hands together in a seal. "Tsukunaimen."

The man's eyes rolled back in his head as his heart exploded inside his chest and he died instantly, dropping to the ground in a lifeless heap. The other male gaped in shock and Ami flicked a kunai at him, slicing his neck open, killing him as well. He fell to the ground, blood spraying from his throat.

'If you think I have a problem with killing enemies, you're dead wrong.' she thought, stepping over the corpses towards the girl, who was stunned with shock and horror, 'I have people at home and my teammates waiting for me. I won't die here.'

The blonde was cowering in the bushes, too frightened to move.

Ami's heart ached at the terror in her eyes, but she hid it. The girl was only her own age. The boys had been clearly older.

The girl went to run, but Ami shot after her and slammed the girl's face into the ground, pinning her to the earth as she ripped her kunai from the soil.

'Not many people know about my clan's abilities.' she thought, 'We want to keep it that way. If it was between killing an enemy or putting your family in danger, I'm sure you'd choose the same. Please understand.'

Ami slid the kunai across the blonde's neck and felt the blood of the trembling girl below her pool around her feet.

Yuuki wasn't shaking anymore.

Ami stood up, and noticed a slight bulge in the girl's weapon pouch. She reached inside and pulled out the Earth scroll.

'It's the one we need. Now, I just need to find Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura.' Sighing, she slipped the vellum inside her own pouch as she searched for other supplies to take from the dead shinobi.

* * *

Ami felt a huge burst of wind suddenly gust against her, knocking her to the ground.

"What the hell was that wind!" she thought, jumping up and getting closer to try and check.

She was stunned by what she found.

Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji were hiding in the bushes as three sound ninja stood in the clearing, Lee lying unconscious on the ground, his two teammates up in the tree, watching. Sakura had been beaten badly, and her pink hair had been hacked short, rosy strands littering the ground. Naruto was hidden in under a tree, unconscious.

Sasuke however, was the one that was drawing her eye.

He was covered in black marks and foul, purple energy was spiraling around him as he told the others just how powerful he felt at the moment.

"You seem proud of your arms." the raven said. He had a disgustingly satisfied grin on his face as he snapped a Sound-Nin's arms by yanking them up behind his back.

"You're next." he said, grinning as he turned to the remaining Oto-Nin.

Ami was paralyzed with shock. This wasn't Sasuke.

"You bastards are Orochimaru's men, aren't you?" Sasuke said, striding towards the other two, "Because of him, I lost my girlfriend. I have no fucking idea where she is, if she's alive, or for how long."

Ami tried to call out to him, but she could barely manage anything above a whisper.

She felt sick with herself for it, but right now, Sasuke scared her.

"Before this exam, she told me not to worry about her, but I can't really help it. So, what do you say that because it's partly your fault she's not here right now, you help distract me, huh? What do you say to a little _fun?_"

Sakura ran for the boy and threw her arms around Sasuke, grabbing him from behind as he went towards the hunched Oto-Nin.

"_Stop!_" she begged. "Stop! Please… _stop_."

After several seconds, the black marks on the raven's body slowly receded and Sasuke collapsed onto the ground, coughing.

Ami released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"You are strong." the sound ninja said, pulling out the earth scroll from inside his clothes and placing it on the ground. "Sasuke-kun, we cannot defeat you. Let's make a deal. Please let us go for now." The bandaged man picked up his fallen teammates. "We might be asking too much, but we have something to confirm. In exchange, I promise this. If we are to fight each other for the second time in this exam, we will not run or hide."

"Wait!" Sakura cried as he began walking away, "Who is Orochimaru? What did he do to Sasuke-kun? _Why_ Sasuke-kun!"

"I don't know. We were just ordered to kill Sasuke-kun."

With that said, he left.

Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji rushed out to tend to the injuries of team seven and Lee.

Sasuke was staring at his hand, quivering. "What was I…?"

Ami jumped down out of the tree she was hiding in, faltering slightly and falling over as she landed, before pushing herself up and tottering over to the others with shaky steps.

"Ami!" Sakura cried, jumping up and running over to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... fine..." Ami croaked.

The raven looked up, then got to his feet and staggered towards her, reaching out. She flinched as he placed a hand on her face, then pulled her into a hug.

Ami attempted to calm herself down as she clutched his shirt in her hands, trying to squash her fear. "_Why…_ were you _doing_ that?" she finally asked.

"I don't know." Sasuke whispered, sounding just as scared as her, "I have _no idea_ what just happened to me."

"H-has it happened before?"

For some strange reason, Sasuke reached over his left shoulder when he released her. "No. _Never._"

Ami pushed herself back from the boy, took a deep breath then began firing questions at her teammates at a mile a minute. "Who's Orochimaru? Why is Sakura beaten up? What happened to her hair? Why is Naruto unconscious? And why in the _fuck _are you _torturing people_, and_ enjoying it?_" She started to cry. "What_ happened_ while I was gone?"

Sakura hugged her. "We can't tell you here." she whispered. "As soon as it's just the two of us, okay? We've got an Earth scroll now as well, but we lost our Heaven scroll."

Ami swore, pulling out the Earth scroll she had gotten.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Where'd you get that? Are the ninja you stole it from following you?"

"No. They're not."

"How can you be sure? In this exam, anything can-"

"How do you _think?_" she sighed, rueful and exasperated.

Sakura's face paled slightly at the tone in her friend's voice. "…Oh."

* * *

Naruto was angry.

"You killed? _Again?_" he demanded, horrified as he jabbed a finger in his friend's face.

Ami pulled the boy towards herself, before hissing furiously in his face. "He had _lightning_, Naruto! And he was coming at me with clear intent to kill! He even _said_ he was going to kill me, whether I had a scroll or not! What was I meant to do? Would you have _preferred_ me dying? Because if they, or anyone who could've been listening in had found out, they would have used it against me at a later stage, putting myself or maybe even _you guys_ in _danger_ and in the face of possible _death! That's_ why I _fucking_ killed him."

The blond glowered at her, understanding her reasoning but still disliking it. "Does Aiko know you think like that?" he asked angrily.

It was Ami's turn to scowl. "She doesn't need to."

"And what if I told her what her big sister's done?"

"You'd probably bring up unpleasant memories, since she still believes it to be her fault our mother died." Ami glared whilst an uncomfortable expression crossed Naruto's face, "Keep your mouth shut. It's none of your business. All I'm doing is protecting myself and my teammates. Besides, it's their food that you're eating right now."

"_You stole from them too?_"

"They were _dead_, Naruto."

"But-!"

"Drop it, Naruto." Sakura interrupted.

"But-"

"_Drop it_."

After a long time of opening and closing his mouth, Naruto fell silent.

Ami had changed her mind about what she thought of killing.

She was no longer neutral.

She hated it.

* * *

Team seven were now in deep trouble. They had two earth scrolls, but needed a heaven, and there were already four out of the five days used up. They were going towards the tower with Kabuto, who they'd met up with when Naruto and Sakura had been about to open the Earth scroll to try and make a fake Heaven, in an attempt to find a Heaven scroll there, and were now stuck in a Genjutsu that had them walking in circles, before being ambushed by dozens of Rain ninja clones, who turned to goo and multiplied when hit. Once Sasuke checked with Sharingan, it was clear they were illusions.

* * *

"Those weak in hand-to-hand combat prefer to attack like this." Kabuto said, "We can only dodge for now, since the real enemy won't come out until we can barely move."

With that, Naruto filled the clearing with Kage Bunshin, deciding to attack all of them at once to see where the true enemy was attacking from.

"Sasuke-kun… what should we do?" Sakura asked.

The raven glared at the Naruto clones. "That usuratonkachi… we have to fight too!"

"Yeah. He can't handle this situation alone." Kabuto said, pulling out a kunai.

Ami nodded in understanding, extracting a kunai from her pouch.

"Let's go!" Sasuke said, running at the illusions with a knife.

* * *

They fought for three hours.

* * *

Three Rain ninja now stood before them.

Ami dropped to her knees, leaning against a tree. Sasuke and Sakura were beside her, as Naruto finally fell to the ground.

"Lucky…" the centre one smirked at Sasuke, "You. You're the one who injured my left shoulder, right? I finally found you. You wasted our time. Lucky, I can finally get revenge."

Naruto grinned.

Sasuke's voice drifted from elsewhere, quoting the man from something he said earlier.

"Like a mouse in a trap."

Sakura laughed. "It went well, Naruto."

"Yeah, nice going." Ami said proudly.

The Rain ninja turned, eyes wide, to face Kabuto, Sasuke, Sakura and Ami all standing behind them.

"You idiots finally showed yourselves, damn it." Naruto grinned, releasing his clones, "I used Kage bunshin just to set up this trick, and pretended to be everyone."

"Once Naruto undid his replications, the four of us hid." Sasuke smirked, Sharingan showing, "So a Genjutsu master was fooled."

Naruto dropped to his knees.

"_Naruto!_" Sasuke called sharply, "You've used up too much Chakra. I'll do the rest."

The blond ignored him and flew at the ninja closest to him, punching him square in the face and into the other two, causing a domino effect of sorts in which all three ninja were sent skidding across the ground.

"I'm not going to let you take all the good parts like that." Naruto grinned.

Ami stared at the blond, shocked. 'I'm amazed he can still move after all that he's done. Naruto's_ definitely_ gotten stronger.'

The three shinobi got to their feet.

"We're not in an unlucky situation yet." the middles one said, "There's still a little time left… We're going to show you our Ninjutsu, now."

All three made hand signs. "Ninpou, Oboru Bunshin no Jutsu!"

'Mist clones?' Ami thought.

"Are they Kage Bunshin?" Naruto asked.

"No." Sasuke said, "They're just regular bunshin. There must be a trick, though. Be careful."

Naruto grinned. "If that's the case, there must only be one real enemy. I'll just beat them all."

"Usuratonkachi! That plan won't work!"

"_I told you to stay out of this!_" Naruto roared, shooting for the rain shinobi.

Kabuto followed.

Sasuke flinched in pain.

"Sasuke?" Ami said, "What's wrong?"

"When I try to use my Sharingan, pain shoots down my neck." he grunted.

"Stop using it then." Ami ordered.

He shook his head 'no'. "Ami, can you tell which is real?"

She frowned. "No. Since they're Mist Bunshin, and hence, largely water, it's too hard for me to distinguish at my current level."

"I see..."

Every time Naruto punched, he went through the rain ninja.

'This is the last of my Chakra…' Sasuke thought as he activated the Sharingan to look at the bunshin.

The real one wasn't among them.

He suddenly cried out in pain and dropped to the ground.

"_Sasuke!_"

"_Sasuke-kun!_" Sakura cried.

The mark on his neck shaped like three commas was burning like fire, spreading across his neck. It was the mark the grass ninja from earlier, Orochimaru, had given him. Naruto, due to being unconscious during both the time it was given and the time it was giving Sasuke the power to defeat the sound ninja, still didn't know about it.

"Sasuke-kun, don't use your Sharingan anymore!"

Naruto's head turned towards them.

"Don't let your guard down!" a rain ninja yelled, attempting to stab the boy, but being foiled when he was rescued by Kabuto.

The bespectacled boy was cut on the leg in the process.

Naruto cursed loudly, standing up and facing the rain shinobi.

"Stop it, Naruto!" Sasuke cried, "The real one isn't among them!"

"Then where's the enemy going to attack from?" Naruto demanded, "If they're normal replications, then they can't attack us!"

Ami jumped up and ran into the middle of the crowd of replications, searching for real bodies. Suddenly, as Naruto staggered, she noticed three people underground, rising to the surface.

"Behind!" she cried, but the pair had no sooner turned than Kabuto was slashed across the face and sent into the dirt.

Naruto took out all three with one kick, and the replications disappeared as the rain ninja fell unconscious.

"'Don't let your guard down…' was it?" he smirked.

Kabuto sighed in relief.

* * *

They got the Heaven scroll.

* * *

"There's no one here." Naruto said as they entered the tower, Ami supporting Sasuke with his arm around her shoulders, and found themselves in a large room with balconies on either side, a large, white sheet of writing hanging up on the wall, having left Kabuto with his own teammates.

"Ami, I'm alright now." Sasuke said, standing by himself.

"Ah. Okay." the brunette said, releasing him.

"Hey, hey, what are we supposed to do?" Naruto asked.

"That big sheet of writing on the wall might be a clue." Ami suggested, rolling her eyes slightly.

Naruto began to read it aloud. "'If you do not possess heaven'… I don't understand."

"'If you do not possess Heaven'," Sakura said, "'gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you open both Heaven and Earth scrolls, dangerous paths become safe paths. This is the secret of' something something. 'It shall lead you on your way.'"

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked blankly.

"It looks like a letter is missing there." Sakura said, "It's probably referring to the scrolls."

"So we're to look at them now?" Ami asked.

"I think so."

Sakura took Heaven, Naruto took Earth.

They pulled them open.

* * *

**Suspense! :O **

**Not.**

**Since we all know what happens next, any suspense attempts fail. T_T**

**Also, I hope Ami isn't becoming Suey. Please tell me what you think! **


	22. Parties, Cows and Pendants

**Sorry this took so long. I've even gotten messages from a few people begging for updates. ^^;**

**I have not given up on this fanfiction, nor have I lost interest, however, I am back at school and as a fifth year, I recieve a lot of homework. So much, that I actually work most nights from five to half-eight, maybe nine, or more. I've been working on this fanfiction late at night, but please understand that I need sleep as well. I get up at seven thirty. It is not the summer holidays anymore, and I have enough assignments to swim in. In short, I have a lot less time, but am using said time to the best of my ability.**

**I'm flattered people like this fanfiction enough to pester me to update it, though. XD Thank you all. :)**

**On a brighter note, I got my results for my Junior cert (a national exam which is basically a practise for the Leaving cert, the last exam I do before entering college/university, which determines whether or not I get in, depending on my points. I'll be doing Leaving cert in two years.) **

**I am very chuffed. :D**

**I did ordinary level Irish and music, and in all my other subjects, higher level.**

**I got As in History and Science, Bs in Irish, English, Maths, Geography, Art, Music and Civics and Cs in French and religion.**

**I will also be in next week's paper for getting one of the best Junior cert scores in my school this year. :D ****Once again, I am very chuffed. :D**

**And yes, I am bragging. But DAMMIT I'm entitled to! XD **

**I know the summaries are boring, but I feel they're necessary. DX Also, I tried to add a bit of comedy and fluff, because I know I've been neglecting that. Majorly. DX**

**Cereah, I have your story for the 100th review half-done, but my teachers are slave-drivers. I have not forgotten you and will have it up as soon as I can. ;)**

**P.S. I finally made that account for Friend art, but I've only got one picture on it so far (busy DX), which is basically a collection of drafts and concise explaination of Ami's development as a character. I'll put the link in my profile.**

**Hope you enjoy! :D**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Parties, Cows, and Pendants

* * *

Umino Iruka appeared before them in a bang of smoke when the summoning seals on the two scrolls were activated as they were pulled open.

That was unexpected.

* * *

The Genin listened carefully to the man's words as he congratulated them on passing before explaining the second exam to them.

Not being allowed to open the scrolls tested your mission completion ability, and the writing on the wall explained the principle of a Chuunin. Heaven represented knowledge, and Earth represented the body. If you had both mental and physical strength, dangerous paths became safe. The missing character was the Kanji for Chuunin.

He then began to talk about how they shouldn't push themselves in the final exam, but Naruto interrupted about how he was a ninja now, and Iruka didn't need to worry about him.

The brunette academy sensei shyly apologized, then sent Team Seven's Genin on their way, having fulfilled his mission.

* * *

Ami sighed as she washed her face in the bathroom, before turning off the water and lifting her head to frown at her reflection in the mirror.

She wasn't sure whether she should feel more disappointed about the pretty lies they had been told beforehand about the Chuunin exams, or the fact that she wasn't really that shocked when the Hokage had given them the truth.

''The epitome of a war between allied nations', huh?'

It made sense. It was shocking for some, but it did make sense. It was nice to know what was really happening.

'Guess I did my job right… but… damn you, Naruto…'

The blond had hit a nerve. Hell, he'd done more than that. He'd stomped all over the damn thing.

And Sasuke…

Ami gripped the edges of the sink, letting the tears slip down her face and into the black depths of the drain as she cried, sobbing out a frustrated; "_Fuck!_", trying to keep down the bile rising in her throat as she remembered the feel of the blood ceasing to move around the body, giving death a whole new angle of perspective. 'Don't puke.' she ordered herself. 'Or you'll be hungry when you fight.'

There were preliminary exams as well. The examinees now had to compete even more just to get a shot at the third part, even if they succeeded in the second. Sasuke's mark was still hurting him, but he refused to pull out.

His fight had just finished (not before scaring the hell out of her as the cursed seal nearly released (which Sakura and she had both lied to Naruto about not seeing, since him knowing wouldn't do any good and would probably only cause trouble for the team) and having Naruto screech at Sasuke about how stupid he was being first, of course). Sasuke was instantly removed from the room by Kakashi after winning. It was hard to believe what he'd thought of in the middle of what had seemed like a losing battle. Half of it was copied from Lee, yes, but the other half he had come up with on the spot. Ami had been very impressed, but she still fussed over him and called him a pig-head for fighting at all while he sat on the floor, worn-out and shaking after falling arse-over-head at the end of the match.

Shino had fought Zaku, the sound ninja who's arms Sasuke broke, and during the fight, Ami had realized that she somewhat admired Shino, and that he had a similar mindset in regards to fighting to herself. Do what's necessary to win the fight, even if unpleasant. He blew holes in his enemy's arm, and Zaku would never be able to fight again. Nevertheless, Shino had won, and remained uninjured.

However… remembering the sight of her raven boyfriend's gleeful face whilst destroying the sound ninja's arms pushed Ami over the edge. She couldn't stop it and ran to the toilet, heaving violently into the bowl, holding her own hair out of the way. Once she stopped, she wiped her mouth and swore as she returned to the sink, rinsing her mouth and spitting into the toilet before flushing. She leant against the wall at the edge of the bathroom before sliding down, trying to calm herself.

'Orochimaru… I've never heard of him. Whatever he did to Sasuke is serious, though. He can't use his Chakra without agony and beserking. _What_ is that _mark!_'

She took a few deep breaths.

'Kakashi-sensei knows… he's sorted it now… Sasuke's at the hospital and being guarded. If I start worrying right now, Sasuke will just be annoyed with me.' She wiped her eyes. 'I wish he'd _listen_ to me, though! Sakura, too! Calling us 'nosy' and saying it doesn't concern us… that's _crap_ and he_ knows _it! You're an '_avenger_', you want to know '_if you're strong_', what a load of _shit!_'

She got up and took a drink from the sink, cupping her hands and filling them with water and taking the liquid into her mouth as she put her face into the self-made bowl.

'Naruto… you always say things just the right way to get to someone…' she thought, staring up at the wooden ceiling, remembering the blond's words to her as she went to leave for the restroom;

* * *

"Did you really not feel anything when you killed them?" he demanded.

Ami scowled, her back to him. "Naruto, I don't want to fight with you over this, alright? We have different opinions."

"Did you really feel _nothing!_"

The brunette rounded on him, trying to mask her feelings with facts as she glared furiously at the blond, losing her temper. "Shinobi aren't _meant to!_ Not when they're on _missions!_ That's what being a shinobi _is!_ And if you can't get your _thick head_ around that, you'll _never_ become Hokage! It'll just be a _stupid dream!_ Now _grow up! _This isn't a place for _stupid babies!_"

Next thing the girl knew, she was on the floor with her face hurting like hell.

She remembered a fist, and then… ah, so that's what had happened.

"I'll _definitely _become Hokage!" the boy snarled, grabbing her by the front of her halterneck, "And when I do, I'll change the minds of _stupid_ people like_ you!_"

Ami was stunned.

* * *

She chuckled bitterly as she rubbed the cheek he had bruised. "And if that doesn't work, you punch them in the face. Foolproof."

Ami still tasted blood on her tongue. She'd bitten the inside of her mouth when he'd dealt the blow. She spat the coppery substance into the sink, and recalled the way the Uzumaki's eyes had blazed like fire when he swore what he'd do in future.

'For a moment… I actually believed him. I wonder… am I allowed to hope…? I'd like to…'

She pulled out a rice ball she'd stolen from the lightning ninja and considered taking a bite, then decided she felt to queasy for food.

She had left just before the match between Kankuro and Kabuto's second teammate had begun, but if she didn't return now, she could miss something important.

* * *

Sakura and Ino were next to fight.

It was a long battle. Both were too evenly matched.

In the end, it was a draw as they both knocked each other out at the same time.

Ami felt nervousness stewing in her gut as she watched battle after battle, awaiting the moment that her name would be spelled out in clear, white letters on the black screen.

Tenten and the blonde girl from the sand trio, Temari, were next to fight. Tenten lost by miles, Temari easily deflecting all her weapons with that massive fan. Then Shikamaru and the female sound ninja, Kin, (lazy bastard won, suprisingly), then Naruto and Kiba (Naruto won by farting in the boy's face), Hinata and Neji (Hinata nearly died because of her vicious cousin, although Naruto screaming encouragement and swearing to avenge her loss amazingly seemed to cheer her up a bit), Lee and Gaara (Gaara destroyed the boy, and they weren't sure whether or not Lee would even be able to continue as a shinobi after the battle), Dosu, the bandaged sound ninja and Chouji (Chouji lost terribly), and two lightening shinobi from the same team fought.

'I just want to get it over with now…' Ami thought sighing.

Naruto poked her in the side and pointed up at the screen.

Ami's jaw dropped slightly as she realized that both her name and her opponent's had just shown up.

'Takashi? Who's that?' she thought.

"Oi!" a man's voice called from down in the arena, "Where's my opponent!"

Ami looked down and saw a boy a little older than herself with a lightning hitae-ate, black hair, and dressed in a black top, trousers and sandals, with an opened green shirt. He was wearing a sadistic grin and looking about eagerly for his competitor.

"Come out, come out, _little girl!_ Come and _play!_"

Ami resisted the urge to roll her eyes. '_Wonderful_. I've gotten a guy who wants to torture me.'

He turned his eyes on her. "_You're the only girl left! Come on, already!_"

Ami turned on her heel and walked calmly down the stone steps onto the arena, trying to seem calm despite the fact that her heart was pounding in her chest, and resisting the urge to tell her loud (in all respects of the word) friend to shut up as he screeched encouragement. She was happy that he was happy but she wasn't really as enthusiastic about her fighting as he was. Watching someone being mangled by a blood-loving psychopath could do that to you. She was unsure of whether she was grateful or unhappy that Sasuke wasn't here to watch, as she really didn't know what the outcome would be.

"_Come on, come on, come on!_" Takashi jeered.

'_Oh, shut up, you idiot._' the brunette thought irritably.

The examiner, Hayate, coughed. Ami didn't know why he was coaching, the man looked half-dead, for god's sake.

They both shifted into fight stances.

"Begin." the referee hacked.

Ami shot for her opponent, throwing a punch that was blocked, then dealing a kick to the gut before following up with a roundhouse to the side, sending him flying into the wall beside them, Naruto roaring praise.

'He's no good at close-combat.' she thought, moving towards the male, 'Meaning his attacks are most likely either mid-to-long range. I should finish this quick and not give him time to use them.'

Suddenly, the man pointed his hands towards her, and Ami was horrified to see two black holes in his palms about the size of coins.

He grinned sadistically.

Ami's eyes widened as black balls shot from the orifices. She jumped back as they exploded where she had been an instant before. A crater about half a metre wide appeared in the floor.

Her jaw dropped in horror, running out of the way as the boy fired some more at her, laughing hysterically as he blew holes in the floor and walls, her running and ducking as she tried to avoid being blown to pieces.

Naruto was screaming in horror. Sakura was screaming warnings to her. Takashi was just screaming.

"YOU LIKE THAT! HUH! AMAZING ISN'T IT! THE NOISES! ARE YOU LISTENING!"

A grenade exploded behind her and knocked the girl to the floor, slumping against the wall. The man shot at her face and she dodged, moving her head out of the way and protecting it with her arms as the concrete behind her shattered, shrapnel flying everywhere.

"_I'M GONNA DECORATE THE FLOOR WITH YOUR FACE!_" the man shrieked ecstatically.

This went on for a few minutes before Ami finally got a chance to retaliate and yanked out the water from her pouch. She slammed it into his jaw, knocking him to the floor, then jumped up and ran towards him, pinning him face-down on the ground with his arms on his back, holding a kunai to his throat as he swore furiously, howling curses at her.

"You've _lost!_" the brunette said firmly, "If this was a serious fight and not an exam you'd be _dead_ now! Give up!"

"NO!"

The Lightning-Nin unclenched the top fist on his back and without an instant's hesitation, Ami stabbed the palm with her knife.

He roared in agony as the spectators' eyes widened.

"You aren't grown up enough for that kind of power!" she snarled, "_Give up!_"

"That won't be necessary." the examiner coughed, "This match is over. Winner; Konno Ami."

"GO AMI!" Naruto roared.

The brunette carefully stepped off the boy, who had his arms held behind him by a Jounin before being whisked off by the medical staff to have his hand bandaged, still hurling insults at her.

"That concludes the Third Exam's preliminary matches." Hayate said.

* * *

The Genin that passed gathered round him.

"To those who have made it to the main matches of the Chuunin Exam's Third Exam, all but one are here, so congratulations."

Ami frowned slightly at Sasuke's absence, but remembered Kakashi's reply when she had asked about the boy; 'Sorry, but I'm not sure myself. Don't worry about it though.'

What a stupid thing to say. Sakura and she would worry anyway.

"I will now begin the explanation for the main matches." the Hokage said.

'Finally.' Ami thought. 'I'll remember everything and tell Sasuke later on.'

"Your main match fights will be held in front of everyone." the Hokage said, "We wish for all of you to show off your abilities as your country's power. Therefore, the matches will begin in one month."

"We're not going to do it right here, right now?" Naruto asked, confused.

Ami gawked at him. 'We don't _all_ have the stamina _you_ do, Naruto.'

"The one month is a time to conduct appropriate preparations."

"What do you mean?" Neji asked.

"In other words, we are going to announce to the feudal lords and head ninja of the individual countries that the preliminary matches have ended. And time is needed to gather those people for the main matches. This is also preparation time for you candidates."

"I don't understand. Explain." Kankuro said, glaring at the man.

'_Rude asshole._' Ami thought. '_That's the Hokage you're speaking to, prick._'

The white and red-dressed man frowned at the sand Genin's insolence. "This time is used so you can know your enemy and yourself better." he explained, "It is a time to analyze the information you have gathered during the preliminary matches. The battles we just had were like real combat situations. It has been done where both parties knew nothing about each other. But the real matches will not be like that. There are those who have revealed everything to their rivals. To make things fair, work hard and improve yourselves on your own in the next month.'

Ami flicked her eyes over to the redheaded sand ninja and Hyuuga Neji. 'I have a lot to do then. That bomb guy was all brawn, no brain. The people left aren't like that. I'm glad I didn't use much water.'

"So, I want to let you guys go, but there is something important we must do before the main matches."

"What is it! I have to go train!" Naruto complained.

"Don't get so hasty." the Hokage said calmly. "Take a piece from the box that Anko is holding."

"I'll walk, so take it in turns." the violet-haired woman called. She walked to Dosu. "Just one."

They all took a folded slip of white paper out of the box.

"Okay, everyone got one?" Ibiki questioned. "Now, tell me what number you got, starting from the left!"

They all called out their numbers, first Dosu with eight, Naruto with one, Temari with seven, Kankuro with five, Gaara with three, Shikamaru with nine, Neji with two, Shino with six, Ami with eleven, and the lightning ninja with ten.

"So, he must be four." Ibiki said, clearly referring to Sasuke.

"Yes." the Hokage grunted.

"We will now tell you the match ups for the tournament."

"_What!_" Naruto cried.

"That's what we drew for?" Shikamaru exclaimed.

'The numbers were for something, I guess.' Ami thought, 'Why not that? I hope I didn't get that redhead. So Sasuke's four… Who does he have?'

"Ibiki, show the match ups."

Ami read the table.

Naruto would be fighting Neji, Sasuke was fighting Gaara, Kankuro was fighting Shino, Dosu and Shikamaru were competing to fight Temari, and she was fighting someone called Kyou, whom she presumed was the lightning shinobi.

'Oh, _shit._ I have the _best damn luck._'

She'd seen Kyou fighting his own teammate. The guy was ruthless, even though she was his own ally. He used lightning techniques. Naruto was matched up with Neji. Sure, he'd beaten Hinata senseless, but maybe the Hyuuga would be able to control himself better without the kind of hatred he had for Hinata getting in the way. Then again, Naruto would probably push any button he could reach. But Sasuke… he was against Gaara. The psychotic, bloodthirsty sand shinobi who'd tried to kill Lee, instead crushing his arm and leg and was near impossible to even be _touched_, never mind _hit_.

"One question." Shikamaru called, raising his hand. "If it's a tournament, that means there's only one winner, right? Does that mean only one person can become a Chuunin?"

"No, that's not how it is. These main matches will have judges, including me, Kazekage, as well as the feudal lords and head ninja from the other countries who will be potential clients. These judges will grade you by watching you in the tournament. And those who are qualified to be a Chuunin, even if they lose in the first round, will become Chuunin."

"So there's a possibility that everyone here can become a Chuunin?" Temari asked.

"Yes, but that also means it's possible for no one to become a Chuunin. Winning the matches in the tournament means that you are able to show off your skills more. Understand, Shikamaru-kun?"

The spiky-ponytailed boy frowned, no doubt thinking abut how troublesome it all was.

"That is all. We are adjourned until next month."

* * *

Ami and Sakura had tried to visit Sasuke in the hospital yesterday, but were told at the front desk that they couldn't see him, as he wasn't taking visitors. The staff didn't know the details as to why either.

They'd tried again today, Ino following along, the blonde and rosette with flowers, Ami with a small, wrapped box, but the raven had run away before they got there. They still had no idea where he was.

Lee had also run out of the hospital, trying to do push ups in the yard, but later collapsed and was brought back inside.

Having no reason to stay, the girls left.

* * *

And so, after Ino had gone back to the Yamanaka flower shop her family ran, both girls of Team Seven walked down the street together, looking at the ground with heavyhearted expressions.

"So what are you going to do with this time, Ami?" Sakura asked quietly.

Ami frowned. Since their match had ended in a draw, neither Sakura nor Ino had made it into the tournament.

Naruto was training with Ebisu (Konohamaru's sensei), Kakashi would be training with Sasuke, but she… she would have to train by herself. Going back to her old village to find someone there would use up half the month just getting there and back.

"Well, I'll die if I go up against that Lightning-user with water." she said, "I'll just straight-out die. Wind will be effective against him, though, so if I get better at that… good enough to fight with it… I'll hopefully manage. Thankfully I'm about halfway there, already. Otherwise I'd definitely have to forfeit."

"Umm… hey, Ami?" the pink-haired girl mumbled.

The brunette looked at her. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Umm…" the pinkette began to play with her fingers and looked down at the ground. "Is there… anything I can do to help you?"

Ami thought a moment. She been training by herself the last two days, but the moves in the scroll she had were very basic, and wouldn't be any use by themselves.

"Well…" the brunette said, "I need some new wind-element moves. A scroll on the Konno clan Wind Style would be brilliant."

Sakura's face lit up instantly. "_Ami!_" she cried, "I suddenly remembered something! I think I might be able to help you!"

Ami was curious. To be honest, she hadn't really been expecting much. "What is it?"

"Come to the library with me!" Sakura said, grabbing Ami's wrist and pulling her towards the town of the village.

The water-user ran along after her as the pink-haired kunoichi towed her closer and closer to the library.

"You know Ami, when I first heard you introduce yourself in class, I thought I had heard your clan name somewhere before!"

"Really?" the brunette questioned, surprised, "We're not that well-known."

"I just remembered where I heard it!" Sakura continued, "I was in the library several months back, when I think I came across a scroll about the Konno clan! Inside the scroll, there were techniques written, and I think I remember the Water, Wind and Ice Styles being mentioned!"

The brunette's eyes widened. "_A scroll on the Konno clan's style techniques?_ Are you _serious? _And are you telling me it's in_Konoha library?_"

"I'm not completely sure if it's the right one, but I think so!"

"Sakura, if you're right-_urk!_" Ami grunted in surprise when Sakura suddenly took a sharp left and they found themselves outside a long, white building with a green roof.

Sakura dragged her up the steps and in the door, up to the counter.

"Do you have a scroll on the Konno clan?" Ami yelled, slamming a hand down on the counter.

"This is a _library_!" the woman at the desk hissed. She was young and blonde, black glasses perched on a small nose, her cleavage peeking out from inside her white shirt and red jumper.

"Well I know _that!_" Ami cried in frustration, "I'd hardly be asking for a scroll if this was a _shoe shop_!"

"Ami, you're supposed to be quiet!" Sakura whispered.

"_Oh! _Crap! Sorry!"

"_Shh_!"

"Sorry." Ami finally whispered.

The woman scowled at her a moment, then pointed behind herself and said; "Clan technique style scrolls are along aisles 3A and 3B."

"Thank you." Sakura said, before trotting down the aisle with Ami.

"Ketsuki, Kezoku, Kisokudoku, Konno!" Sakura whispered excitedly, extracting the scroll and handing it to Ami, who quickly placed it on the table in the middle of the aisle and began reading and looking at the pictures.

"I don't believe it..." she whispered. "It's a perfect copy of the actual scroll. All the water, wind, and ice techniques, how to use them, even who _invented_ them are here! I'll_ definitely_ be able to get it now!" She threw her arms around her proud teammate. "Sakura, I _love_ you!

"You had better kick his ass!"

"I will! You can count on it!"

"This is a _library_!" the woman hissed again, sticking her head around the side of the bookshelf.

"Sorry!" Ami said, "Can I check this out, please?"

The woman frowned. "Bring it to the counter, give me your name, and show me your headband as proof that you are a Konoha ninja."

The two girls followed the woman.

"Name?"

"Konno Ami."

"You're of this clan and that's why you want the scroll, I trust?" the blonde asked, lowering her black-rimmed glasses to peer over them at the brunette.

"Yes."

"Alright then. Your headband, please."

The Konno removed her forehead protector from her brows to show it to the woman, who looked it over and tapped a small hammer against the metal to check that it made the right noise.

"Okay, here's your headband back and here's the scroll. How long do you intend to hold onto it for?"

"About a month..." Ami said, "I'll say a month and a half to make sure it's back inside the time-limit."

"Very well, just sign this please." she said, sliding a small, yellow slip of paper towards the brunette.

Ami obediently complied.

* * *

Sasuke was still missing.

Ami was looking at the small, wrapped box in her hands when she heard a slight tapping on her windowpane. She slipped the package inside the top drawer of a cabinet and took a step towards the glass. She sensed a body of water, shaped like a person crouching. They didn't seem fully grown.

'Who is it?' the landlady wondered, 'How did they get past the traps?'

Carefully, she extracted a small amount of water and used it to open the curtains just slightly.

Her heart leapt when she saw who it was.

"_Sasuke!_"

The raven hushed her hurriedly, swinging in as soon as the window opened.

"_Be quiet!_" he hissed, clapping a hand over her mouth, which she pushed away, glaring.

"You shouldn't be out of the hospital." she chastised.

Sasuke just grunted. "I need to get stronger."

"You've been _training?_ You're _meant_ to be in _bed!_"

"Shut up." Sasuke grunted, sitting down on the floor, "Besides, there's nothing they can do about this mark."

Ami bit her lip. "Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore."

"I see… That's good then."

"Don't tell Sakura where I am either. She'll want to see me and I can't be bothered with her."

"That's pretty heartless."

"Hn."

"Can I at least tell her you're _safe _or _alive?_"

"She'll want to know more."

"But I won't tell her."

"She's stubborn."

"So am I."

"…Hn. Go ahead, then. Just make sure she doesn't find out where I am. How did your match go, by the way?"

"I got a crazy pyromaniac who tried to blow me to bits. I still won."

"I'm going to kill him."

"No, you're not."

"…Is he dead?"

"_No._ He's barely even _hurt_. I was _nice_ to him."

"You probably stabbed him in the arm or something."

Ami chuckled. "Hand, actually. Sensei tell you?"

The raven smirked. "No, I just know you that well."

She sniffed.

"…Ami?"

She sat down beside him. "Yeah?"

"…I'll be gone for the rest of the month, training with Kakashi."

The brunette grabbed his hand. "Don't move. I have something to give you."

She got up and walked over to a small chest of drawers and pulled out the small box from earlier. She handed it to the boy and kissed him on the cheek.

"This is…?"

"An early birthday present. Since you won't be here when it comes."

Sasuke rose a brow and pulled the blue, star-patterned paper off, opening the white box revealed. His eyes widened as he pulled out a small, black, stone pendant necklace.

"What do you think?" Ami asked.

"Where did you get this?" the boy asked, awestruck as he studied the careful fashion in which the characters of his name and Uchiha fan had been engraved into the jet.

She grinned. "I made it. Took a few tries but I finally got it right the third time around."

Sasuke hung it around his neck and smiled. "I love it." he said, leaning over and kissing his girlfriend on the lips.

She beamed, butterflies exploding in her stomach.

Sasuke gave her a quick hug, then slipped the necklace inside his blue shirt. "I've got to go and meet Kakashi now. Before I get found."

Ami nodded in understanding. "Be sure to train hard this month, but don't overdo it." She called as the boy slipped back outside the window.

The raven smirked. "Yeah. You too."

The girl smiled to herself as he left.

She couldn't wait until the Exams were over and they could spend time together again.

No Orochimaru. No dangerous ninja. No fighting.

That would be nice.

* * *

Ami yawned as she made her way towards the place where the Chuunin Exam matches would be held, Aiko and the girls from the dorm all following behind.

Since she would be participating in the main matches of the Chuunin exam, the tenants had insisted on throwing a party for her the night before that had lasted until two in the morning, until the landlady had finally put her foot down and chased everyone upstairs, swinging a saucepan around in a rather dangerous fashion.

The aforementioned party had included Aiko making many foods and sweets, including a huge, dinosaur-shaped cake, Haruka getting incredibly drunk and beginning to sing non-stop at one end of the table, Miku getting depressed and angsty about the fact that she had never gotten the chance to be a ninja at the other end (she was underage but decided to break the rules and drink anyway, turning out to be a rather sad drunk), and Anzu (who was not intoxicated, but merely very excited, orbiting around Ami in the middle like a satellite, giggling uncontrollably.) Aiko and Kotone had fallen asleep on the floor and surprisingly, Junko had turned out to be very good at holding her liquor, and quite happily drank said booze out of a jam jar, which Sachi had eaten all the preserve out of earlier in the evening with a spoon. She wasn't drunk either, but on a sugar rush from eating an entire T-rex head. The cake was three feet long.

On the bright side, Ami now knew all the words to 'Patricia the Stripper'.

* * *

"You want some sweets, Haruka-san?" Miku asked as they arrived at the confectionery stall.

"My _fucking _head is_ throbbing_…" came the grumbled reply.

* * *

Ami waved goodbye and stepped out into the arena where the rest of the competing Genin were. When they started the entrance ceremony, Dosu, Naruto and Sasuke weren't there, however, no sooner had they all lined up than Naruto arrived, sliding on his stomach across the ground and coming to a stop at Shikamaru's feet, before beginning to scream something about cows.

'Damn it Naruto… you only woke up in hospital _yesterday_. What're you _doing?_'

He was yanked into line and told to show his face to the crowd looking down at them.

They all looked up at the crowd, and the stands filled with a deafening applause.

* * *

The tournament had begun.

* * *

**I want a dinosaur cake... o3o**


	23. Genjutsu, Hokages and Goodbyes

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Woo! At long-last, the next chapter! :D I love submitting these! By the way, don't forget everyone! Tomorrow, the 10/10/10, is Naruto's Birthday! :D Everyone has to yell 'Dattebayo!' :D**

**I've noticed a trend in my villains. A lot of them have red hair. I have nothing against redheads, I just like using them as villains. I find the colour suits their personalities! :D Bloody hair for bloody people. :3 (That smiley face looks strangely misplaced XD)**

**I stuffed a**** lot into this chapter, so I hope you forgive me for the wait. It's not my fault though. TT_TT**

**School! DX**

**I used summaries again in this chapter, but it's all so you don't get too bored. o3o **

**I hope you enjoy! :D**

* * *

Genjutsu, Hokages and Goodbyes

* * *

Ami swore. Sasuke was still missing. He hadn't turned up for his match, and they had to postpone him until after all the others.

Naruto and Neji had already fought, (a close match if she'd ever seen one), Naruto incredibly winning when red energy began to flow out from his body, and although Sasuke and Gaara had been supposed to fight next, the match had been postponed, and they skipped ahead to Temari and Shikamaru, Naruto shoving the boy off a ledge down into the arena, much to the Nara's displeasure. The lazy boy won again. Then it was Shino and Kankuro's turn, which Shino won when Kankuro forfeited. The bug-user seemed somewhat pissed about this turn of events. Less time to show what he could do, she supposed.

She was up against Kyou now, and the fiery red-head was staring her down, seeming as if he were turning her over and over in his head, dissecting her, and thinking of all the possible ways that he could take her apart or break her.

If Sasuke didn't show up before her match, the last one besides his own, was over, he would lose by default.

She couldn't afford to stall for time, either.

They shook hands and Ami felt a tight squeezing on her palm. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

It hurt, but she wasn't about to let him know that. Some of her boyfriend's pride seemed to be rubbing off on her.

"You know, it's a very childish person that attempts to crush another's fingers during a handshake." she said tiresomely, causing her opponent to scowl in annoyance as he roughly released her.

The examiner rose his hand.

It wasn't Hayate anymore.

"Begin."

The redhead wasted no time.

Kyou made a few seals and the hair on the back of Ami's neck stood on end as his hands charged with electricity.

The lightening-user shot at her and Sakura screamed as the girl just about dodged and the ground instead was ripped to pieces by the charge of the blast.

* * *

'All I'm doing in these fights is dodging…' Ami thought, slightly annoyed as she avoided burst after burst of electricity, 'It's working, though. He's getting tired. I guess I was right in thinking that his wild, all-brawn, no-brain attacks take quite copious amounts of Chakra. He's getting slower. I should do it now.'

The brunette rolled out of harm's way once again as Kyou swung wildly at her, then yanked out her water and Naruto swore.

"That'll only conduct and amplify the attack!" Sakura cried.

Naruto was raging. "_AMI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?_"

Several people gasped and nearly everyone's jaws dropped at what happened next.

Ami brought the water down on the man's hand in a thick pillar with a hammering motion of her right arm, and all the lightning was conducted and grounded into the earth by the aqua as the liquid slammed Kyou's hands downwards.

The redhead's mouth fell open in surprise as both his jutsu was nullified and his arms were slammed to the ground, effectively pinned.

Ami's hands were lifted, and she performed several quick seals, her body charged full of Wind Chakra, before thrusting both hands out in front of herself in the last sign.

"Fuuton; Tatsumaki no jutsu!"

A small tornado was whipped up out of nowhere and hit the man head on.

He flew back across the arena and landed painfully in a heap, dust rising up around him on the other side of the stadium, after being cut up by the Wind Chakra in the vortex.

It had been a direct hit.

Fists up, carefully observing her opponent, Ami didn't move.

Lying in supine the dirt, neither did Kyou.

"We have a winner." Genma announced.

The girls of the inn erupted in cheers and applause for their young landlady, bar Haruka, who was still hungover and grumbling, whilst everyone else on the seats clapped and cheered quietly, somewhat disappointed at the monotony and quick ending of the fight.

* * *

The examiners watching the fighting Genin smiled at the girl's performance.

"Wind _and_ water, eh?" one mumbled, impressed.

"We didn't get to see much," the other murmured, "but from what we have witnessed, she seems to know what she's doing."

"She dodged all the blasts, as well."

"If she had got hit she'd probably have died."

"Can't really do anything about that but dodge, eh? She controlled her fear well, too."

"Yeah, her record says she has quite a severe case of astrapophobia."

"The exam must have toughened her up."

"It was over fast… hardly much fun to watch."

"The crowd's response echoes that opinion."

"Shinobi are meant to be efficient, though. There was no unnecessary flashy stuff."

"I'm a little surprised she didn't try to stall for her teammate a bit more."

"Don't really think she could have without seriously risking her life. That was a dangerous match-up for her."

"Looks like she did her research, then, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. She thinks about survival first, has her priorities straight, and uses everything she has. If I had been in her shoes, I wouldn't have even considered water, but what she did was smart."

"So, what do you think?"

"I'm not sure, but it's looking good for her. If possible, I'd like to see a little more from her."

* * *

The crowd was getting restless as they waited for Sasuke. Ten minutes had passed and there was still no sign of the boy.

Finally, Genma spoke. "About the final match…" he said, "Time is up, so-"

He was cut off as in a huge flurry of leaves, Kakashi and Sasuke appeared beside him, standing back-to-back.

The sensei remained unchanged, but the raven's appearance had been altered quite drastically in the last month.

He was wearing a new outfit of all black, with white bandages and black belts on his shins and left arm, the only colour variation being his beige elbow guards. Even his sandals were black. His hair had grown several inches longer as well, but even still, the Uchiha crest blazed proudly on his back.

Jaws dropped all around.

"Sorry we're late." Kakashi said, his voice as light a tone as ever.

The raven looked at Naruto. "You won the first round, then? _Dobe?_"

"Of course!" Naruto grinned.

"Don't get so excited over it, idiot." the raven smirked.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, um… It's hard to ask this after we've made such a flashy entrance, but… is Sasuke disqualified?"

"He must have caught your habit of being late." said Genma, looking down at the ground and smirking.

"So, is he…?"

"Sasuke's match was put on hold, and you pair made it just in time to avoid being disqualified."

"_AS IN; WITH THREE SECONDS TO SPARE! TARDY_ _BASTARDS!_" Ami roared from up above them, a vein bulging in her temple.

Sasuke looked up at her and smirked. "And how'd you manage, Nami?"

"I_ BURIED HIM!_"

Sasuke smirked at her response, having expected nothing less, then glared as his eyes met with the sight of the sickly smiling redhead he would be fighting.

"Gaara, come down." Genma called.

* * *

Sasuke had used his month to master Taijutsu, and had gotten up to Rock Lee's incredible speed. However, as the match between Gaara and the Taijutsu-user had shown, hand-to-hand combat wasn't enough to defeat him completely.

That was where being late came in.

Sasuke had an ace in the hole.

He'd gotten a new move.

A move named 'Chidori'.

* * *

Everyone gaped at the sight before them.

You could see the lightning Chakra focused in the boy's hand crackling in his palm, the speed and strength he'd built up by training in Taijutsu added to the speed of the thrust as he dashed down the arena wall towards Gaara's absolute defense of sand as hard as rock.

It stabbed through the shield like a knife through soft butter.

Gaara released a blood-curdling scream from inside the orb and a moment later, a huge, mutant arm of some sort shot out the side at Sasuke, who leapt back out of reach, before the limb dropped to the ground and slid back inside the sand defense.

The ball of sand then collapsed to the ground, poking around the panting red head's feet as he held his chest, blood seeping out from between his fingers.

* * *

Ami's eyes were wide as she watched the battle, suddenly found herself feeling very sleepy as feathers began falling through the air.

So sleepy, in fact, that she actually fell to the floor and dozed off right there and then.

Genjutsu was not her strong point.

* * *

She later found herself woken by Shino, who had instantly detected and canceled the technique, then released it on her as well.

The spiky-haired boy simply looked at her from behind his black glasses.

She got up, rubbing her eyes. "What was…?"

"Genjutsu." the boy calmly explained in a deep voice. "It's an area you should improve on." he added.

The girl frowned slightly. "I'll keep that in mind. Now…" her voice trailed off as she looked around and her eyes widened at the sight of smoke in the distance, shinobi from Suna, Konoha and Oto fighting, and the Hokage taken captive inside a barrier. "What the_ hell _happened?"

"We're under attack." the bug-user droned.

'Well, duh.' Ami thought, resisting the urge to glare at him, "What do we do?"

"We haven't received orders. I'm going. Do what you like."

With that said, Shino left, and Ami looked around, cursed foully, then ran down the stairs, deciding to look for her sensei and teammates, hoping that Aiko and the girls were safe.

A sand shinobi stopped her on her way, jumping out in front of her, fists raised.

The pair scrapped for a little in a fight, Ami suffering a punch to the face in the process, and him, a stab to the leg. The man hobbled on his injured limb and Ami kicked him in the face, knocking him out stone cold, before turning and making her way out into the stands, where she found Kakashi busy fighting.

Cursing, then chewing her lip as she thought of what to do, Ami finally decided on going out into the village, where she found a snake destroying the place, flattening buildings with mere swings of its tail.

Shinobi were attacking it with kunai and paper bombs, and one brave soul even attempted to kick it, only to be thrown back like nothings as their weapons and attacks had no effect.

'I can't do a thing with that monster!' she thought, staring in horror.

A kunai whizzed over the top of her head and cut a few hairs. She spun round in shock to see a woman wearing a sand hitae-ate, spinning a second kunai on her finger standing on the opposite roof. She had messy, blazing red hair that almost seemed spiky, purple lipstick, unusually sharp canines and wore mostly black.

"Yo." she called simply, grinning as she looked Ami over.

The brunette's eyes narrowed as she dodged the woman's stab with a second kunai and pulled out her own, several attacks from both being blocked before the woman's foot came slamming down on Ami's shoulder in a powerful crescent kick. The woman jumped back, now on what had been Ami's area of roof. The brunette girl gasped a moment, clutching her shoulder, tears coming up in her eyes at the agony she was feeling. They circled each other, eyes locked in a staring contest, Ami panting, face twisted in pain, the woman grinning before Ami attacked, yanking out water and shooting it at the woman, who jumped out of the way, smirking, until the fluid came back and hit her on the back of the head with as much force as a horse's kick.

She tottered a moment, then fell off the roof.

Ami didn't check whether the sand Jounin was okay of not. She was in too much pain to care.

Her collarbone was broken, and reaching up to hit the woman with water hadn't done her any good either.

A shinobi landed beside her and she started, until she realized that it was a Konoha Chuunin.

"I'll take care of you. You can't fight anymore like that." the man said gently, picking her up bridal-style.

* * *

He carried Ami to the hospital and brought her inside, before she was taken away by a nurse for treatment. The nurse had been quite surprised when she was slapped away upon trying to heal the girl, who, not wanting to talk, growled a rather scary '_No_'.

* * *

"_Sis!_"

Ami grunted as somebody hugged her as tightly as they could, then cringed at the brightness of the room she was in when she opened her eyes.

'_Fuck…_ the lights…'

The brunette girl coughed, then looked up into wide, green eyes.

Aiko's eyes.

She glanced around herself. White walls and florescent lights surrounded her, and Aiko, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were all sitting beside her.

'…The hospital?'

"How do you feel?" Sakura asked.

Ami winced as she tried to move her arm, which she then realized, sat in a sling. "Like hell, I guess. How long have I been in here?"

"Since yesterday. Remember?" the pink-haired girl replied.

She thought a moment. "Oh yeah… I fell asleep."

"You've got one hell of a shiner." Naruto commented, poking at the girl's face, including her bruised eye, before Aiko smacked him on the head with a bouquet of flowers she had bought for Ami, scattering pollen everywhere.

"How long will you be in here?" the little girl asked, placing the now-lopsided flowers in a vase.

A nurse came in, smiling brightly as she ticked off boxes on her clipboard. "You can get out tomorrow, dear. There's really nothing more we can do for you besides that sling. Your collarbone is broken and I'm sure it's painful, but we have no choice but to let it heal itself. We just need to keep you in for a few more tests, make sure nothing else has been damaged, then you just need to make sure you take your pain medication. The fracture isn't too bad, so you should be healed in three weeks."

* * *

Sakura and Naruto later left, and while Ami was put out at being stuck in bed for the rest of the afternoon, however, she was grateful about having been filled in on what had happened after she had left the battlefield by Sasuke.

Naruto had fought and won against Gaara, and it seemed Orochimaru had been behind the attack, and the Sand were being controlled. Suna then surrendered to Konoha, and since the Hokage had died, the leaf village was currently leaderless, and trying to get all of the village's much-needed repairs done as soon as possible.

At this, Aiko had piped up about the dorm.

* * *

"We… need more repairs, sis." Aiko mumbled shyly.

Ami's face fell. "Oh… How much is left?"

"Urm…"

"More or less than half of the building?"

"More."

Ami shrugged, being supine making it look like a strange sort of wiggle, then suddenly heard a jingling noise she hadn't noticed before. Looking at her hand, the source of the noise, she was shocked to discover that she had been handcuffed to the bed.

"The nurse was sick of Genin running away." Sasuke explained, trying not to snicker at the expression on her face, then failing and telling her the truth of how Naruto had done it as a joke, before realizing he had forgotten where he'd left the key; the real reason as to why he had left - to look for it.

Ami eventually composed herself after a moment of stammering at the sight of her wrist, and spoke properly. "How did your match end?" she asked, trying to get comfortable, and failing.

"It didn't. The exams got canceled in the middle of it."

"Oh… I see."

"And you?" the raven questioned, "All the details I got were that you 'buried him'."

"Why didn't Naruto and Sakura tell you?" she queried.

"I didn't ask them. They wouldn't be able to tell me the whole story. I wanted everything."

"Oh… Okay, then."

* * *

After describing her match to the boy then talking for a while, Ami waved goodbye as Sasuke left with Aiko.

The next day, sometime in the afternoon, Ami was released from the hospital (Naruto eventually found the key behind his forehead protector, where he'd left it for 'safe-keeping') and was looking forward to going home again, even if it meant that she would have to start working on repairs.

* * *

The landlady was surprised as she looked the dormitory over.

"It's not that bad, Aiko." she said, examining the broken window and a few flattened bushes, "I thought it would be far worse."

Aiko twiddled her thumbs a moment, before taking her sister's hand and leading her around from the front to the other side of the building.

The elder sister gaped, then placed her head in her good hand, before sliding her face up out of it and staring at the sight before them.

"Oh, _god_."

Several buildings were missing, including half the secondary edifices and the stairs leading down the mountain to the gardens, rubble being all that was left, and a rather large tree had somehow gotten stuck in the roof, right in the spot she knew would go straight through the ceiling (and probably the floor) of her very own room.

"We haven't figured out how to get rid of that just yet." Aiko said shyly, reaching inside her small shoulder bag, "But on the bright side, we found the blueprints, and some of those needed demolishing anyway."

"Only one…" Ami whimpered, "The rest were fine…"

* * *

Ami sighed as she counted the money they had left for the next two days as builders worked around her.

'I can't help, I can't train and I can't even sleep in my own room. There's a _fucking maple tree_ stuck through it like some sort of weird, leafy fireman's pole (though it's half-removed now) and my shoulder is broken.' She glanced up at the buildings being repaired and mulled over in her head just how they were going to both afford this and eat, suddenly very randomly remembering the fact that she still had yet to return the scroll she borrowed from the library, and began wondering whether or not being attacked by foreigners and having half her home destroyed would seem an acceptable excuse to the strict-looking blonde, when she felt a tug on her hair.

"Yo."

Ami turned round to see Sasuke, back in his usual blue and white training garb, and smiled, getting up and kissing him on the lips with a one-armed hug.

The raven, having not gotten to do this with her since before he went off to train for the third stage of the Chuunin Exams, happily kissed back, being careful not to touch her injured left side as he held her.

"You alright?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"I guess." she smiled, "I'm in a bit of pain, but the pills help."

"That's good." the raven sighed, touching her forehead lightly with his own before releasing her. "I'm going to go look for Kakashi. I want him to train me again." he said, then furrowed his brow slightly and stared bitterly at the ground.

Ami nudged him gently in the side. "What's wrong?"

Sasuke slowly lifted his head and looked at the girl, his expression troubled. "Hey… Ami…" he mumbled slowly.

The girl tilted her head slightly, indicating that she was listening and for him to go on.

Sasuke gulped and he looked away to the right. "Do you… think… Naruto…"

His voice died away and Ami frowned.

"Do I think Naruto…?"

Sasuke cursed under his breath. "Do you… do you think Naruto is stronger than me?"

The brunette blinked. "What brought this on, if you don't mind me asking? I will answer you, I just want to know."

Sasuke swore again and placed his head in his hands. "He… that _dobe_ was able to save Sakura when I couldn't do _a thing! _I was _useless!_ I feel so _stupid_, and _weak_, and _helpless_- The _dobe_ is _beating_ me!"

Ami hugged the boy around the waist and sighed. "Calm down, Sasuke." she soothed, "You're being stupid right now, I'll give you that, but you're not helpless, and you're _definitely_ not weak. As for Naruto, he has improved, give him that, but so have you. So has Sakura. So have I. Although I'm a little messed up at the moment." she chuckled slightly, before continuing, "You haven't gotten weak, Naruto's just gotten strong. And to be frank, it's about time, don't you think? You're just freaked out because you had a bad day, and then discovered that the friend you are so used to seeing tripping over his own feet and stepping in dog crap has actually become a decent ninja. That's all."

Sasuke's frown became a little smaller as he felt himself starting to feel a bit more at ease. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly into a smile, and Ami grinned before kissing the boy on the cheek.

"Do things make a little more sense now?" she asked.

The raven nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Ami."

The girl grinned.

* * *

The remains of the majority of the three Keijousai buildings that had been destroyed had finally been removed, and work on them had begun at last.

Naruto had left to train and look for a new Hokage with Jiraiya, a man who was appropriately dubbed; 'Ero Sennin', or 'perverted hermit' by the boy. Despite being an amazing ninja and one of Konoha's 'Legendary Sannin', it was difficult to take the white-haired man seriously when he never looked a busty woman in the face, peeped in the women's onsen as often as possible and still talked about how wonderful he was and how much of a ladies man he was, at fifty years of age.

* * *

Ami stood outside, studying the progress happily, wooden frames just having been put up, when she spotted Sakura walking past, looking at the ground with a worried expression.

She called her name, not waving because of the pain it would bring, and Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of her.

"_Ami!_" the pink-haired girl cried. "Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"I got released…" the brunette replied, confused at her friend's shocked expression.

"_You don't know?_" Sakura screeched.

Ami winced slightly at the pitch of the girl's voice. "Know_ what?_"

"_Sasuke-kun is in hospital!_"

* * *

Ami's face was pale as she looked at Sasuke as he laid in the hospital bed before her, unconscious, his face the same colour as the crisp white sheets covering him.

He had received a broken arm and ribs, which had since been healed with Chakra, and had apparently suffered heavy mental damage when he was attacked.

Sakura sat beside her, and the two stared at the boy in silence.

It had been three weeks since Naruto had left. They were just hoping that he and Jiraiya had succeeded in getting the person they were looking for, as they had heard from Gai, Lee, Neji and Tenten's sensei, that she would be able to heal Sasuke, and wake him up at last from his unconscious state, Lee, who also needed special treatment, and Kakashi, who was also unconscious from a fight he had had.

Ami's collarbone was almost healed, and soon she would be able to resume training.

The Konno's eyes flicked up and Sakura got to her feet as someone entered.

"I'm coming in." she said.

Ami looked the woman over, taking in the sight of a beautiful, young-looking woman with blonde hair in loose pigtails, brown eyes, a purple diamond-shaped marking on her brow and gigantic breasts that jiggled with every step.

The girls couldn't help but feel envious.

Naruto came running in behind her. "Sakura-chan! Ami! Everything will be fine!" he grinned. "I brought an amazing person here! Sasuke will be perfectly fine."

Ami's eyes widened and she leapt to her feet. '_This is her?_'

Sakura wiped the happy tears coming up in her eyes and turned to the woman. "Gai-sensei told me about it…" she said quietly, smiling, "Please help Sasuke-kun."

The blonde grinned at them both. "Leave it to me!"

Ami watched in amazement as she studied the unconscious raven for a few seconds, then placed a palm on his forehead, green Chakra glowing around it.

Slowly, Sasuke opened his eyes.

Naruto beamed. "Sasuke!"

The girls started to cry.

"Sasuke..."

"Sasuke-kun…"

The boy sat up, looking rather dazed.

Ami and Sakura jumped forward and hugged him, both crying.

The blonde looked over at Ami, who was wiping the tears from her eyes as she released Sasuke, and pointed to the sling she was wearing.

"Want me to heal that?" she asked.

Naruto looked curiously at the girl. She should have been healed already. Sasuke's physical injuries were fine.

Ami shook her head quickly, avoiding eye contact with Naruto, not wanting to explain. "It's fine! Honestly, don't bother. It's nearly done healing anyway. Save your Chakra."

The blonde stared at her, and Ami stared back.

"My name is Tsunade." the woman said, "I'm going to be the new Hokage. Who are you?"

"Konno Ami, Hokage-sama." the brunette replied, bowing respectfully.

Tsunade's eyebrows rose in understanding.

"Thank you for healing Sasuke."

"It's fine. It's my job." the blonde grinned.

Naruto was about to speak but stopped, realizing that this was not the time to tell the Uchiha he thought he was an idiot, and respectfully left the room, indicating a moment later for Tsunade to follow him, no doubt to the other two requiring care.

* * *

Ami grinned as she rotated her arm, relishing in the lack of pain now that it was fully healed. Sasuke had also left the hospital, and they were back to doing missions. She lifted a plank up onto her shoulder and brought it over to one of the workers rebuilding the staircase.

* * *

Since Konoha had been attacked, it had lost over half of its power, so along with their being copious amounts of work to be done on many buildings, any available shinobi were being terribly overworked in an effort to avoid showing weakness to the other countries, who knew nothing of the attack they had suffered, to avoid being invaded and taken over. Daily routine was just getting back to normal, the academy still having many half days for the children.

* * *

As for what had happened in regards to the Chuunin Exam, in the end, Shikamaru was the only one who became a Chuunin.

Talk about a disappointment. He hadn't even planned to participate originally.

* * *

Team Seven had had a B-rank in the Country of Tea, where they protected a man who was running in a race between the city's two clans, the Wasabi, their client's group, and the Wagarashi, to try and win first place to become leader of the city and remove power from the clutches of the Wagarashi clan, who did nothing more than bully the villagers and throw their weight around. As the race had almost no rules, hiring ninja was perfectly acceptable, for both sides, and needless to say, that had caused a bit of trouble for the Genin.

Sasuke had been injured on the mission, but thankfully it wasn't serious and would heal fast.

However, Ami had noticed that the boy had been in a bit of a strange mood ever since they had returned from that assignment, and had decided to ask when she went to visit him in the hospital.

* * *

"Hey." Ami said, sitting down on the end of the boy's bed as he sat up, creasing the white sheets beneath herself.

The raven stared at his lap and didn't look up.

He seemed lost, frustrated, angry and confused all rolled up into one.

"Something's wrong?" she asked, despite knowing the answer, "Do you want to talk about it?"

He didn't reply.

She frowned and leaned in towards the boy, speaking gently, "Sasuke, you can tell me what's wrong. I know something's bothering you, but I can't help unless I know what it is."

Sasuke's jaw clenched and his knuckles whitened as he wrapped his hands in his sheets.

Ami picked up on the signs, but decided to persist a little more. "...Sas-"

"_SHUT UP!_" the boy barked suddenly, causing her to jump slightly, "_HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY HELP ME! YOU'RE WEAKER THAN I AM!_" He glared at her, panting as he continued, "Naruto's getting stronger, and I'm stuck like _this!_ You're there whining _'tell me, tell me'_, but what point is there! _You can't help!_ You _can't help_, so at least stop being a nuisance and just _shut up_ once in a while!"

Ami stared at him, silent for several seconds, then said quietly, "'I see..."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he swore, running his hands through his hair and scowling at his lap again.

There was a moment of quietness, broken by the raven.

"I'm sorry."

Ami shrugged. "…You're too hard on yourself when it comes to these things. It's really not that big of a deal how strong-"

The pair heard footsteps approaching and Sakura's silhouette appeared outside the door of the ward, then heard Naruto calling her from down the hall.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke's face darkened, and Ami felt the tension in the room increase tenfold.

They both entered, Sakura talking about the apples she had bought and Naruto telling her where she'd misplaced the knife to peel them with.

Ami was silent as the pink-haired girl peeled the apple and Naruto jabbered on about something or another, then watched as Sakura placed a cut piece of fruit on the end of a toothpick and held it out to Sasuke on a plate.

He knocked it out of her hands with a swing of his arm, and porcelain shattered, apple flying everywhere as it hit the floor.

Ami jumped up. "_Sasuke!_ What the _hell?_"

The raven ignored her as he locked eyes with Naruto.

"_Fight me, right now._" he demanded.

The blond was confused. "Huh? What are you saying? You've just been treated by Tsunade-baachan."

"_I don't care, just fight me!_" Sasuke barked, eyes turning blood-red as he activated his Sharingan. "You think you saved me…? I don't care if she's the Fifth Hokage… Doing _unnecessary things…!_"

"What…?" Naruto muttered.

Sasuke flung off his covers and stepped out of bed. "You said before you wanted to fight me, _didn't you?_ I said I'd fight you right here and now. Or are you afraid?"

Sakura got up off the stool she had been sitting on. "S-Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"

"_Sasuke, stop!_" Ami protested, stepping in front of him, but he simply shoved her out of the way, making it clear that he was only interested in Naruto right now.

"Naruto, say something!" Sakura cried, "So suddenly…"

The blond smirked. "Perfect timing, I was just itching to fight you!"

"Why don't the two of you just cut it out, okay?" Sakura said nervously.

Neither was listening.

"Follow me." Sasuke grunted, nodding his head in the direction of the door.

Ami turned to her pink-haired friend. "Sakura, what do we do?"

The girl was close to tears. "_I don't know!_" she whispered.

"They're on the roof." Ami said, her voice shaking, "Sakura, this is seriously bad. Sasuke thinks Naruto's getting stronger than him, maybe he is, I don't know, but in any case, Sasuke is furious with him right now. He could _seriously_ injure either Naruto or himself, and if he uses Chidori on him…"

Sakura nodded. "W-we have to go."

* * *

Sakura and Ami ran up to the roof to find the two boys talking trash, and as the fight progressed, things eventually elevated to the point where Sasuke was using the lightning-style technique he'd learned for the exams, and Naruto was using a new technique none of them had ever seen before, where he somehow held a small sphere of spiraling Chakra the size of a grapefruit in his palm, apparently named Rasengan.

Sakura was almost caught in the crossfire as she tried to break it up by herself, Ami cowering against the wall, breathing irregularly and shaking as soon as she had seen Chidori, but Kakashi showed up just in time to stop the boys and rescue Sakura.

After being reprimanded by the sensei about how Chidori was meant to be used, Sasuke had simply grunted and slunk off, leaving Sakura and Ami, both of which were crying, as Naruto sat beside a water tank.

* * *

Kakashi hopped down to the two sobbing girls, eye crinkled in a smile. "Sakura. Ami. Everything will be fine." he said gently, "It'll be like the old days again. Cheer up."

He hopped away to report for a mission he had been assigned to with a 'See ya', and Ami swore, wiping her eyes and hugging her female teammate.

The Copy-Nin's reassuring words had brought a smile back to the pink-haired girl's face.

"I'm sorry…" she mumbled, "Sakura… you're so much braver than I am."

"It's fine." the pink-haired girl beamed, stroking her hair, "Listen to Kakashi-sensei. Everything will be fine."

Naruto jumped down beside the girls, eyes narrowed at the ground.

Their eyes widened at his words.

"_Don't interfere._"

* * *

"Sis?" Aiko mumbled, poking the arm of her sister, who was deep in cogitation, staring at the leaves in the bottom of her tea, still stirring it though it had long gone cold.

Unhappy at being ignored, the small girl climbed up onto a chair and sat on the table, just to annoy the brunette and get her attention.

Ami never even looked up. 'Naruto and Sasukie had such a big fight... Are things really going to be okay? I want to be able to believe sensei, but... what's wrong with Sasuke? He won't tell me anything... Why?'

"Sis?" Aiko said, tilting her head to the side, worry etched on her face.

"I'm going to go to bed." the landlady mumbled, standing up and pouring the untouched tea down the drain of the sink. "Goodnight, Aiko."

"…Goodnight." the little girl mumbled.

A knock sounded at the door, and Ami stopped before the stairs to answer it.

It was Sasuke.

She blinked in surprise. "Sasuke? What are you doing here so late at night?"

The boy's eyes narrowed slightly for several seconds as he seemed to be mulling something over in his head, trying to find an answer. His face then returned to the strange, somber expression he had been wearing when she opened the door.

"…I just wanted to say… I know we disagree at times, but I just do what I think is right. Thank you for helping me, Ami."

'Is he talking about the fight with Naruto?' Ami pondered. The girl stared at the raven in confusion as he turned and left without another word. "Umm… You're welcome!" she called, "…I guess…"

Aiko hopped over and began asking questions about who it had been.

Ami simply shrugged, telling her 'Sasuke' while wondering just what the boy's late-night visit had been about.

* * *

She never noticed his backpack.

* * *

Ami awoke at five in the morning to a banging on her door, Sakura screaming her name through the wood.

The brunette jumped out of bed to practically across the room, taking no more than two steps before yanking the door open, to be met with the sight of her teammate bawling her eyes out, tears and snot running down her face as she wailed.

"Sa-!"

"_Sasuke-kun is gone!_"

* * *

**Fuuton; Tatsumaki no jutsu - Wind Element; Tornado technique**

* * *

**DA-DA-DAAN! **

**:O**

**So, there you are. Sasuke never told Ami a thing about Itachi or anything else. She has no idea. He never even said 'goodbye'.**

**You might be wondering why I did it this way. Well, you see, Sasuke isn't very open. Ami has always had to probe him for info, and in my opinion, it's incredibly unlikely that Sasuke would tell her anything he could avoid telling her, let alone everything. The fact that he even went to see her was a miracle in itself. He never said goodbye to Naruto, and the only reason he talked to Sakura (And he really didn't say much) is because she came after him.**

**So, here is the moment that I'm sure many of you were waiting for and wondering about.**

**Between Ami along with all his friends and Konoha or Revenge?**

**Sasuke chose revenge.**

* * *

**P.S. Out of curiousity, is there anyone who thinks Ami should have made Chuunin? I was on the fence, so I left her as a Genin.**

**Please review! :D**


	24. Omens, Blame and Silence

**Yo. This took SO LONG! DX I'm so sorry! DX**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Omens, Blame and Silence

* * *

Ami felt her blood run cold as she realized just what had happened.

Sasuke's visit last night suddenly made a lot more sense.

He'd gone to Orochimaru.

"Shikamaru's just about to lead a squad to search for Sasuke out of the village now!" Sakura explained, still sobbing.

Ami turned and ran back inside, grabbed a fistful of clothes, and pulled them on roughly as she dashed down the stairs.

* * *

When she stepped out onto the doormat, Ami realized that there was something under her foot. She looked down and her eyes widened.

It was the black necklace she had given to Sasuke for his birthday.

Swearing, she snatched it up and rushed down the steps of the dorm, jumping every ten rather than stepping on each one.

* * *

Shikamaru stood at the gate with Kiba and Akamaru, Naruto, Chouji, and Neji, just about to leave, Lee on crutches standing beside the group.

"Wait!" Sakura screamed, and the boys stopped and turned around.

"Sakura-chan! Ami!"

"I already heard about it from Hokage-sama." Shikamaru droned, "Sorry, but I can't take either of you on this mission."

He looked at the two girls, Sakura crying, Ami livid, dark hair stuck up everywhere with bedhead.

"_Why not!_" Ami demanded.

The Nara's eyes narrowed. "We need to leave as soon as possible, or we'll be too late. You have nothing to add. You only want to be on this team for your own selfish wishes."

"_Wha-_" the girl began, but she was cut off.

"Not even you were able to convince Sasuke, right?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"There's no choice for us but to use force to bring him back. Sakura. Your job is done. Ami. We don't have time to wait for you. We need to leave."

"That means… did you both talk to Sasuke?" Naruto asked, staring at the girls.

Sakura started to cry and Ami clenched the black necklace in her fist.

"He… didn't tell me a thing." the brunette grit out, tears beading at the edge of her eyes, "He just came, said something about how he only does what he thinks is right, and thanks for helping him and walked off… I didn't even get to ask him what was wrong… That _bastard!_"

"Language." Shikamaru droned.

"_Piss off._"

"Naruto…" Sakura sobbed, "This is the only favour I will ever ask of you… Bring… bring Sasuke-kun back. I couldn't convince him. I couldn't stop him. The only one who can save him, the only one who can stop him… is you, Naruto."

Naruto was silent a moment, before he smiled and said; "You really love him, huh, Sakura-chan?"

Ami could see his heart breaking behind the grin, and felt her own chest ache.

"I can understand very well the pain you are going through." the blond smiled.

Sakura hugged herself as she continued to cry, "Naruto… _thank you!_"

The whiskered boy gave her a thumbs-ups, "I'll being Sasuke back for sure! It's the promise of a lifetime!"

Kiba leaned over, smirking. "Hey, hey, Naruto. You sure you're okay with saying that?"

"Hmmph! I don't go back on my words!" the boy grinned. "That's my Way of the Ninja! Let's go!"

"We just lost some time." Shikamaru droned, "Let's hurry."

Lee, Sakura and Ami watched as the squad left, each one put out at having to remain in the village, but knowing it was what was best.

Sakura was still crying.

"Naruto-kun said it with the nice-guy pose." Lee said, smiling, "Everything is fine now. It'll be all right. No doubt about it."

Ami was silent as she watched the backs of the boys. "…I have faith in Naruto." she said finally, "He'll give this mission everything he's got. I'm going home."

* * *

Ami closed her eyes and leaned up against the rocks at the side of the pool, relaxing in the outdoor bath as she thought about the day's events, wondering what would happen.

'I didn't lie… I know Naruto will do his best, I just don't know if he will succeed… they both tried to seriously_ kill each other_ back at the hospital. I'm not just frightened for what will happen to Sasuke if Orochimaru gets a hold of him, I'm frightened for their_ lives_…'

Ami didn't look up as Anzu came out into the baths, slipped into the water and made her way over to the brunette, looking worried.

"Ami-sama? What's wrong?" the redhead asked, sitting beside the girl.

'Sasuke leaving is classified. I can't tell her.' Ami thought, " Just feeling a little under the weather." she lied, "Not sick, just fed up."

"Oh… Why don't you talk to Sasuke, then?" the redhead suggested brightly, "You two always cheer each other u-_Ami-sama!_"

The brunette's eyes suddenly overflowed with tears she had refused to cry back at the gates, and poured down her face as she sobbed into her arms.

"_Ami-sama! What's wrong?_"

The girl shook her head frantically.

She wanted to tell her.

Tell anyone.

To tell them her worries.

Her fears.

Her anger.

To be comforted.

To be reassured.

She really did.

But she couldn't.

She never said a word.

* * *

It had been two days since Shikamaru had left with his squad in search of Sasuke, and the boys still hadn't returned.

Ami was beginning to get really worried.

Her eyes were locked on the wall in front of her, staring at nothing in particular, hardly even aware of anything around her, deep in thought, when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something.

Ami felt her heart soar when she spotted a black, spiky tuft of hair peeping up over the window. She leapt across the room and thrust it open, shoving her head out.

"_Sasuke!_"

A meow answered her.

It was Baby.

Ami felt her heart sink, but after several moments of wallowing in disappointment, picked the animal up, closed the window and brought her inside, sitting down in the middle of the room with the pet in her lap, and beginning to stroke her.

Baby snuggled up to the touch of her palm and gazed up at the girl, silvery eyes seeming sad.

Ami felt tears in her eyes as she petted Baby's head, "I know…" she whispered, "I'm worried about him too. We'll get him back, though. Don't worry."

Baby meowed again.

There was a timid-sounding knock at the door.

"Come in, Aiko." the brunette sighed, recognizing the girl by the amount of water present, "I'm not going to bite, and I plan on saving going mad for when the guys come back."

The green-eyed girl cautiously peeped around the door frame, eyebrows lifting in surprise at the sight of the black cat in her sister's lap.

"…Come in." Ami sighed.

Aiko slipped in and stared at Baby.

"I'm not sure if she's ours yet." the older girl mumbled.

Aiko looked worriedly at her sister. "…Are you okay?"

"…No. I'm not. But I don't want to talk about it."

"Well… if you change your mind, I'll be here."

Ami gave the girl a small smile. "Thank you, Aiko."

Baby meowed loudly.

"_Maybe she's hungry!_" Aiko exclaimed, overjoyed at the prospect of feeding the cat, trying to lift the atmosphere with a happy tone.

Ami grinned at her sister. "You're probably right." She picked up the cat and held her up in the air. "Baby, you'll be living with us for a while, and you're gonna need some food." She placed the cat on the ground and got to her feet, walking towards the door. She was momentarily surprised when Baby leapt up onto her shoulder, but continued on her way, downs several flights of stairs and into the hallway of the first floor, then into the kitchen, Aiko trotting behind, giggling excitedly.

Pulling open the fridge, Ami pointed at a plate of leftover pork.

"You want some of this?" she asked the cat.

Baby closed her eyes, clearly disinterested.

"How about this?" Aiko suggested, gesturing at a saucer of salmon.

Baby yawned.

"Will you eat chicken?" Ami asked, despite it being meant for part of her lunch tomorrow at training.

The cat's ears perked up and she licked her lips before meowing.

Sighing, Ami took out the plate and picked up several scraps from the dish, holding them out to the animal on her shoulder, which happily ate them, before handing the rest to Aiko, Baby licking their fingers afterwards.

"You're spoiled…" Ami grumbled.

"Hey." Anzu called, swooping into the kitchen behind the girls and flicking on the kettle. "Want tea?"

"Yes, please."

"That would be nice. Thank you, Anzu."

The girl nodded and poured three cups once the kettle had boiled, placing two on the table, one in front of the landlady.

"Here you go."

"Thanks." Ami reached out for the cup, when it unexpectedly cracked in the side.

Her eyes widened.

A bad omen.

"Oh no!" Anzu cried, "I'll get you another one, okay Ami-sama?"

The girl didn't reply. She felt her throat close up.

The very same omen had happened to her the day before she and her mother had gotten the letter that her father had died.

Instinctively, she just knew.

Naruto had failed.

He wasn't bringing Sasuke back.

* * *

Shikamaru had broken his finger and received minor injuries, Neji was in serious condition, but stable, as was Chouji, and Kiba had a deep, but non-life-threatening wound, while Naruto wore enough bandages to pass for an Egyptian mummy.

* * *

The defeated expression on his face made her want to cry.

"I'm sorry…" the boy mumbled.

Sakura forced out a smile. "Why are you apologizing?" she stepped over to the window, "It's you, so you probably went overboard again.

"I'm sorry… I…"

"Did you give it your all?" Ami asked calmly, sitting down beside Shikamaru. "If so, you have nothing to apologize for. I couldn't even get out of bed for the mission, what right do I have to criticize you?"

"But-"

Sakura interrupted him again. "Come on. It's a beautiful day, so let's open the curtains."

Shikamaru, who was sitting on the blond's bed, watched apprehensively, seeming as though he was expecting either the brunette or the pink-haired girl to explode at any second.

"Sakura-chan! Ami! I'll keep my promise for sure!" Naruto cried, "I said that it was the promise of a lifetime!"

"It's okay now, Naruto." Sakura said quietly, facing away and out the window.

"Sakura, he-" Shikamaru began, but was cut off by the bed-ridden blond.

"I've always… said that I will always go straight ahead, never taking back or bending my word, because that's my Way of the Ninja!" he grinned.

The others couldn't help but smirk at his words.

'He does make you hope.' Ami thought, smiling at the boy, 'I'm so lucky to have him as a friend.' She hopped up off the bed. "In that case, I'll go home now. I can tell you're tired, but I'm glad you're alright. I'll come back again when you feel a little better."

* * *

As Ami made her way through the town after going for a short walk around the village to clear her head, she spotted Sakura on a nearby bridge, looking down into the water, her expression troubled.

Silently, she made her way over to the rosette. "Hey."

The girl looked up briefly and nodded. "Hey."

"…I suppose you probably blame part of this on me, huh?"

"…suppose so."

"…I tried. I really did. But he wouldn't say a word."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"…He did the same to me, as well. I tried to talk to him..."

"…That Orochimaru bastard… you told me he said that Sasuke would come to him, right? 'Seeking power'?"

"…Yes. That's what he said."

"Shall we blame him for now, then? The creepy asshole who fucked up Sasuke's head and played mind games on him? I think he's more at fault than anyone, to be honest."

"Suits me."

"Me too."

There was a moment of silence.

"So… what're you going to do now?" Ami asked.

"I'm not sure… I'm kind of lost to be honest… What about you?"

"…I don't know. Go home and think, I suppose."

"…I'll do the same." Sakura said quietly, turning and leaving with a lazy wave of goodbye.

"…See you then." Ami frowned down into the water. 'She probably thinks she could have done a better job of being a girlfriend than me… Maybe she's right… But it doesn't really matter now, does it?'

* * *

It had been nearly two weeks since Sasuke had left the village.

Keijousai and a good bit of the village had been fixed, and they had received information that Orochimaru had transferred to a new body before he arrived, and that he wouldn't be able to move onto Sasuke for another three years, so the remnants of team seven felt rather relieved at the time they had bought.

Naruto was in hospital again, but the boy bounced back so well it was almost scary. He was like a stubborn weed that kept coming back no matter how many times you killed it. He'd probably be out by tomorrow afternoon.

Sakura meanwhile, had made up her mind about what she was going to do, and Ami was happy to know that she didn't mind her stealing the idea, seeing as the rest of the Genin seemed to have a similar thing in mind.

Train.

To train, and get strong enough to catch up to Sasuke and Naruto, and get their teammate back from that 'ugly snake bastard' as Naruto had dubbed him.

Sakura had gone to the Hokage to become her apprentice, and was currently learning Medical Ninjutsu, and it was all set that Naruto was going to go off with Jiraiya again on another training trip, but she still wasn't decided about how best to spend her next three years, and so, had decided to train alone for the time being.

* * *

Ami picked up Baby as the cat jumped into her lap, meowing loudly.

"Yes, yes, I get it…" she chuckled as the black cat headbutted her, "You want some food."

She didn't flinch when the cat jumped up onto her this time.

Pulling open the fridge, Ami pointed at the plate of leftover pork and Baby mewled.

Ami picked out a few pieces and held them over her shoulder to the animal.

"You're not eating my lunch everyday." she grumbled, "I'm going to get you some catfood tomorrow…"

There was a noise of the front door opening and Ami looked round curiously.

"Ami!"

'That's Sakura's voice… Why is she _here?_'

The brunette came out to the entrance and found Sakura, looking around as she slipped off her shoes.

"What's up?

The pink-haired girl turned towards her and grinned widely. "Come with me!"

Puzzled, Ami slipped on her shoes and followed the kunoichi out the sliding door.

* * *

Sakura had, for some reason, lead her to the Hokage.

The blonde looked up from her paperwork and glanced Ami over. "Are you Sakura's teammate?"

The brunette nodded, still slightly confused. "Konno Ami, yes, Hokage-sama."

"Sakura told me everything, don't worry."

The brunette frowned.

"I hear you need someone to supervise your training."

"…Yes, that's true."

Tsunade sighed. "You're much duller than I expected…"

The girl's brow furrowed slightly. "…What do you mean?"

"…Forget it."

"Actually, I don't think I will."

"_Ami._" Sakura whispered worriedly, "She's the _Hokage._"

The brunette ignored her teammate, eyes locked on Tsunade.

The busty woman stared back at Ami, looking annoyed, but slightly curious. "I see." she said quietly, "Well then, Ami, I'll explain. What I was saying was that you have a lot less energy and emotion than I had heard you had. Then I thought about how you must be feeling at the moment, and your actions made a little more sense."

The brunette relaxed slightly, and her face softened.

"Then you became aggressive towards me, either because in your distressed state, you took 'dull' the wrong way and perhaps thought I was insinuating that you weren't good enough for Sasuke, and that's why he left, or just insulting you in general, or maybe you just wanted to hit something or someone, though I should warn you, picking a fight with me isn't a good idea."

The brunette bit her lip as she released her hands, which had been clenched into fists, and dropped her head.

"Understand?"

A silent nod.

"Good."

"…I apologize, Hokage-sama."

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, back to the original topic, I have a friend who is willing to supervise your training."

Ami's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. Sora, come in."

Ami turned towards the door and was met with the sight of a twenty-something black woman entering. She had long, black hair in a high ponytail, dark eyes, a lengthy pale green top with a gray belt around her waist and dusky shorts, white bandages covering both of her legs up to the shins, black sandals on her feet.

The woman beamed as her eyes fell on the Konno. Bounding forward, she grinned as she shook Ami's hand fiercely. "Nice to meet you!"

Ami couldn't help but think about how much this woman reminded her of Naruto, with her contagious grin and happy, friendly aura. "You too, um…"

"AYANO SORA!" the woman exclaimed, "You must be Ami!"

"Y-yes…" the brunette mumbled, wondering just _what_ she was going to be learning with this woman.

"I hear you use water?"

"Yes… that's right…"

"And you're part of Team Seven?"

"Yes."

"All you're saying is 'yes, yes'! Don't be so boring!"

"But all you've done is ask me questions… all of which happened to have the answer of 'yes'."

Sora threw an arm around Ami and hugged her.

"Cheer up." she whispered in her ear, "I'm a good teacher. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be able to _wipe your ass_ with that Chuunin Exam."

'I guess she won't mind if I curse.'

"I won't go easy on you though, so be ready for some harsh training."

Ami blinked at the woman, in disbelief at her words.

"_Don't doubt me!_" Sora pouted, "I was chosen for a _reason!_"

"Ah… yes, Ayano-san. My apologies…" 'She acts like a kid…'

Tsunade swore as Sora leapt up onto her desk, papers scattering everywhere.

"_AMI!_ GO PACK YOUR BAGS, MY YOUNG APPRENTICE! WE ARE GOING ON A _TRIP!_ HELL, WE'RE GOING FOR A _FALL DOWN THE STAIRS!_"

Ami had no idea how to respond to that statement.

* * *

"_You're going!_" Aiko wailed.

Ami ruffled the girl's hair with one hand as she slipped several items into her rucksack. "Afraid so. Don't worry though, it shouldn't be for too long. Only about a month, then we'll be back. Make sure you feed Baby, and try to manage things as best as you can until then. Sora's become a resident here, so she's hardly going to be gone very often with me. She said for two to three months or so that we'll be going on trips, and then we'll be training here the rest of the time. It's no big deal."

Aiko pouted, but left the room to allow her to continue packing.

Picking up a bag of kunai, a certain object caught the elder sister's eye.

Sasuke's necklace.

She stared at the trinket, then slowly picked it up, turning it over in her hands, thinking again about the boy.

'Guess I've been dumped.' she thought bleakly, somewhere in the back of her mind wondering why the thought had only just occurred to her, then supposed she'd been convinced he'd come back, and then spent her time worrying about whether or not he was even alive anymore. Now that she had the answer to both disputes, there was little else distracting her.

'He's not going to wear it now, I guess… What do I do with this?' the girl wondered.

There was a loud banging on the door and she jumped slightly in surprise.

"Ami! Are you nearly ready?" Sora called from the other side.

"Just a minute!"

Dropping the necklace back onto the desk and continuing to pack, the Genin found herself wondering about just why she was going on this journey.

To become stronger?

To become a useful shinobi?

To protect those close to her?

To help herself through life?

Because she didn't know what else to do?

…To rescue Sasuke?

All of those were true, but which was dominant?

Ami sighed.

She wasn't kidding anyone.

She was doing this for Sasuke and she couldn't let herself forget that.

She had a bond with the boy, and in all honesty, she had probably got closer to him than she did with Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, or anyone else she had met in the village.

* * *

First, he was her enemy, who she got in a fight with on her very first day at the academy, and considered a stuck-up prat.

Next, he was her teammate, who she considered penance to be in the company of, but completed missions with nonetheless.

Later, he was her crush, which she was horrified at having and even went as far as trying to blame it on an insane horse.

Then, he was her boyfriend, who she found clueless yet adorable, and loved everything she did with him.

But through it all, there was one thing he'd been far longer than anything else;

He was her friend, who she'd gone through all of the above and much, much more with.

They'd worked together, trained together, laughed together, fought together, watched films together, eaten together, run from fangirls together, even minded a cat together, and she knew that as long as she lived, she wouldn't forget any of it.

Bonds.

They were troublesome things, but sometimes you'd do just about anything for them.

* * *

She picked up the necklace, and thought a moment about all the feelings she had put into making it. Then, she slipped it over her own head and held the black stone in her palm a moment, before clenching it inside her fist.

'_Never forget._' she told herself, closing her eyes and imagining the raven Uchiha's familiar face, '_Remember who you're fighting for._'

Slipping the necklace inside her clothes, Ami made sure she had everything she needed, then stepped out the door.

Sora flashed her a toothy grin. "All set?"

"…Actually, I'd like to make just one more stop. Can you wait for me by the gate?"

Sora shrugged, ran to a window and leapt out. "Don't take too long, 'kay?_ Ten minutes!_"

* * *

It was amazing how lonely a big house could be. Even a mansion was a horrible place to be when nobody else was there with you.

Ami felt her chest ache as she stood in Sasuke's old hallway, listening to the overwhelming silence.

She couldn't even hear the villagers this deep in the estate.

A tear slipped down her cheek as she gazed at the pictures of his long-dead family, constant reminders of what he had lost hanging on the walls.

Ami wiped her eyes.

Lost in silence, faces of those who'd left you displayed all around, with nothing but your thoughts.

This was how Sasuke had lived.

She wished she'd done so much more for the boy.

* * *

"Ready?" Sora asked, not missing the girl's red eyes, "You've said goodbye to everyone?"

Ami nodded. "I'm ready."

Sora scratched her head as she seemed to be thinking about something.

"Ayano-san?" Ami questioned, tilting her head.

"…You know…" the woman mumbled, "you don't _need_ to get that guy back. Someone else could probably do it, so don't obsess over it too much, 'kay…?"

"All due respect, Ayano-san, I'm a stubborn cow, and I'm already dead-set on getting Sasuke back, so you needn't bother telling me anything like that anymore. I promised my teammates and myself. I'm not going back on it."

"…You're thinking like that orange kid now."

"Naruto."

"Is that his name?"

"Yes."

"Well, yeah then, like Naruto."

"He'll be delighted."

"So… how do you plan to do it?"

"Get strong enough to capture him and bring him back like a stray cat."

"You do realize that he's classified as a Missing-Nin, right?"

"Yes."

"You are aware that he'll probably have changed quite a bit and also gotten stronger by the next time you meet him?"

"Yes."

"You do realize that he may not mind killing you in a few years?"

"Yes."

"You understand that you sound insane, don't you?"

"Perfectly."

Sora clapped her hands together. "Wonderful. There should be no issues then. Let's go."

Ami nodded and followed her new teacher out the gates, waving to the gatekeepers as they left.

* * *

Ami wondered what the next three years would hold in store.

She didn't know what was going to happen, but she did know what she hoped for.

She hoped that Konoha would rebuild and prosper.

She hoped that Naruto would succeed in his training and come back stronger, another step closer to becoming the Hokage he dreamed to be.

She hoped that Sakura would do well under Tsunade's guidance and become a fierce kunoichi to be respected by all.

She hoped that Aiko would become a tougher girl, ready to take what graduating would throw at her when she left the academy someday.

She hoped that Sasuke would remember the friends and bonds he had with the village, and come back, be accepted, and live amongst them again.

She hoped that she would get stronger, and no matter what happened from now on, plough on ahead through anything that tried to hold her back.

She also knew that if she was going down, she was going down fighting.

Kicking, biting, clawing, screaming, cursing; you name it, she'd try it.

Because that's what friends do.

* * *

They fight_ against_ each other.

They fight_ alongside _each other.

And they fight _for_ each other.

* * *

**It goes onto Shippuden, don't worry. :3 I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can manage.**

**So many of my characters are nutters. o3o Oh well, they're more fun to write. XD**

**So, I ****hope you guys enjoyed that, though you might be depressed right now. ^^;**

**Please tell me what you think. I really appreciate the reviews. :D**

* * *

**I've got a link to the deviantART profile for friend on my profile. Check it out if you like. :)**

**Also, I was very flattered to discover that one of my readers had done a cute piece of fanart for friend. :D Thank you Rakkii Seimei! :D**

** : / / . ? g h = & section = &g = friend + fanart + oc + sasuke # / (Remove the spaces) **

**And Cereah, I WILL get your story done. I am so sorry I'm making you wait so long. T_T **

**It's 90% done, but I'm very pressed for time at the moment, and I've just moved into higher level maths, so I have to learn six weeks of math in one week, along with my other mid-term homework. Thank you for being so patient! :D You're awesome!**

Sora


	25. Comebacks, Repeats and Kidnaps

**Heyo! Back With another chapter! :D At last, eh? So many people were complaining... ^^; Sorry, guys. I'm doing my best. It's five pages longer than usual, so hopefully that makes up for the delay.**

**There may be a few typos since there's something wrong with this site and it doesn't save everything I've typed, especially question marks and exclaimation marks together and Aiko's gibbering. I'll try and see if it will let me fix that after submitting it.**

**I'll update the deviantART account for Friend when I get a chance, but I'm afraid I can't say when that will be. :( Hopefully fairly soon. :)**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Hope you enjoy, and please remember to tell me what you thought. :)**

* * *

Comebacks, Repeats and Kidnaps

* * *

Ami winced slightly as claws dug into her knee and wrinkled her nose at the feel of a black tail flicking against her nose. She tried to write on the sheet of paper on her knees, pressing it against a hardback copy, but glared as an arse was practically shoved in her face.

"Baby… Get off. I have to finish this mission report."

The spiky-headed creature simply purred happily, turning around and headbutting the report out of her hands.

Ami sighed in defeat and began to stroke the creature making as much noise as a mini-lawnmower on her lap, then shoved her off after about a minute.

"I have to get to work now." she grunted, as Baby glared at her.

Sora stuck her head in the door. "Landlady, just thought I'd let you know, there's no milk left. If you go down to the store anytime soon, could you pick some up? Awesome. You rule." The head disappeared.

Ami sighed, picking cat hair off of her clothes for a bit, before giving up and getting back to the report of the most recent B-rank mission she had lead, wondering just when the hell she would have time to go to the store. Her thoughts drifted towards her teammates.

* * *

It had been two and a half years since Naruto had left the village with Jiraiya.

Two and a half years since she and Sakura had begun their rigorous training with their respective sensei.

Two and a half years since Sasuke had left the village.

* * *

The brunette's hand absent-mindedly felt for the necklace behind her clothes, and fondled it a while before returning to her work, still thinking about the others.

She knew that she had improved, and that she had definitely seen Sakura's work pay off during missions together and the occasional spar, but she couldn't help but wonder just when they would get to see Naruto's results.

* * *

Ami was hanging out washing, smiling to herself about what a pleasant day it was; warm weather with a slight breeze and a cloudless sky. People were smiling and laughing as they walked through the streets, children playing games after a day at the academy.

Aiko had come home a few hours ago, and as far as Ami knew, was currently doing her academy homework of shuriken training.

Yes, it truly was a peaceful day in Kono-

"WAAAAARRRGGH!"

…ha.

Aiko came barreling up onto the roof, nearly falling up the stairs as she came, screaming excitedly. The younger girl adjusted her clothes roughly; a black T-shirt with a white vest over it, and green three-quarter length trousers, hair still in the familiar pigtail style, then leapt forward and grabbed her sister, yanking her away from the job she was doing and nearly knocking the clothesline over in the process.

"_Aiko, what's wrong?_"

The girl released a loud, screeching stream of words that she couldn't quite understand.

"_What?_"

Despite Ami's clear confusion, Aiko proceeded to pull her sister down the stairs and out of the dorm, continuing to babble ecstatically, the older girl still failing to understand a single word of the excited gibbering.

* * *

Ami arrived just in time to see Sakura looking rather pissed at a certain blond-haired man.

Her eyes widened.

"Naruto?"

"Oh, Ami!"

She looked him up and down, as he did with her and had done with Sakura.

His outfit had changed, now a combination of orange and black, and his old blue forehead protector had been changed to a black one with a longer band that hung down his shoulders.

Sakura's outfit had been replaced by a red vest and black shorts with a light-coloured skirt and elbow guards of the same colour. She wore black gloves and boots that came to her knees, and had decided to keep her pink hair short, still worn in the familiar headband style with a red forehead protector.

Ami now wore a loose, light blue, long-sleeved T-shirt, with a criss-cross of belts across her waist going over her shoulders, water canteens hanging at each of her hips. Her blue forehead protector had been exchanged for a black one, and still hung tied around her waist, under the belts. She also wore black shorts and sandals, and her dark hair was still long and tied up in a ponytail. Sasuke's black necklace hung around her neck inside her clothes.

* * *

The trio had all lost their baby fat and matured, the girls gaining curves and more womanly figures, Naruto gaining muscles and height. All three of them had grown, but in a strange turn of the tables, Naruto, having shot up, was now taller than both the girls.

* * *

Aiko jumped forward and threw her arms around the boy.

"It's great to see you!" she cried happily.

Naruto beamed. "You guys too! Sakura-chan. Ami. How did your training go?"

Ami was about to tell the boy, when a young, prepubescent voice interrupted her.

"Naruto-niichan!"

The boy turned.

A very pretty, very naked woman now stood before Naruto in a rather amorous pose.

"Oiroke no jutsu." she giggled, winking.

Jiraiya snorted, face blushing excitedly.

Sakura recoiled in shock.

Ami just cringed slightly, used to the boy's antics.

With a bang of smoke, Konohamaru appeared, grinning. "How was that! Had some real 'oomph' to it, right?"

Naruto chuckled. "Konohamaru, I'm not a kid anymore. So you shouldn't use techniques like that either."

The boy frowned in disappointment.

'Wow…' Ami thought, 'Naruto's matured. That's… good, I guess, but… it's kind of sad, too.'

"THAT TECHNIQUE IS TOO WEAK! BEHOLD, MY NEWLY-DEVELOPED PERVERTED NINJUTSU!"

Her brows lifted. 'Oh. Well, that's that, then.'

"HERE I GOOOO!"

Sakura chose then to bury a fist in the side of Naruto's jaw. "YOU IDIOT!"

Naruto went flying through the air, landing in a crumpled heap upside-down in the dirt as Konohamru and his friends clung to Jiraiya in fright, Aiko clinging to Ami instead.

Sakura marched over, a vein throbbing in her temple as she yanked the blond out of the hole, proceeding to shake him vigorously, yelling at him.

"On the inside, you haven't grown at all! Don't make me beat you senseless when I've only seen you for two minutes after not seeing you at all for two years!"

'As I thought, Sakura-chan hasn't changed at all. In fact, I think she's become even more violent.'

"Did you say something?"

* * *

"It's been a while, you two." Tsunade said, smiling at Naruto and Jiraya, along with Sakura and Ami. "I take it the training had some results?"

"Do you think we'd come back without any?" Jiraiya sighed.

"I did great!" the blond grinned.

"Well then, let's see those results." the blonde said, leaning forward on her desk. "I'd like you to fight against a certain someone. I haven't given him any missions the last few days so he could rest up. That opponent is-"

A knock at the door interrupted and Temari of the Sand and Shikamaru entered.

"Hey." the spiky-haired boy droned, eyes as dull as ever.

Sakura beamed. "Shikamaru, Temari-san, look!" she pointed at Naruto. "Who do you think this is?"

"Naruto… Hey! If it isn't Naruto!" Shikamaru exclaimed, bored face breaking into a smile at the sight of his old friend.

"Shikamaru!" the blond grinned.

Ami tried not to snigger at the shocked look on Temari's face.

"So you came back." the spiky-haired brunette smiled.

"Yeah. I just got back this morning."

The boy chuckled. "You don't look like such an idiot anymore or… how to say it? You've changed!"

Naruto grinned proudly until Sakura interrupted the cosy chat. "No, he hasn't changed at all." she said in a muttered.

"As I thought…" Shikamaru mumbled, slightly disappointed.

"Sakura-chan…"

The others chortled at the scene.

"So, my opponent is meant to be Shikamaru?" Naruto questioned.

"Opponent? What are you talking about? I just came here to pick up some documents."

"So it wasn't Shikamaru? Then…" He looked over at Temari, staring a moment before mumbling a shy; "What was your name again?"

"_You don't remember?_"

* * *

As it turned out, it wasn't Temari either.

The team seven trio were actually meant to fight Kakashi, their sensei, who ran away as soon as Naruto gave him the present of Jiraiya's latest novel that hadn't even been published yet, the next in the Icha Icha series that the masked man was so fond of.

* * *

As the triad wandered down the streets of Konoha, Naruto moaning about the man delaying their fight, Sakura and Ami spoke to one another about tactics for beating Kakashi, before the boy dropped back to leer at Temari and Shikamaru, with a mischievous giggle.

"So, are you two on a date?"

Shikamaru sighed, as if finding explaining it to the boy troublesome, which he probably did. "It's not like that."

"Quit joking." Temari said, 'hmph'ing, "Why would I go on a date with someone like him? The Chuunin Exams are soon. I've been bouncing back and forth between Konoha and Suna as I take care of the preparations."

"And it's troublesome, but once I started working on the exams, I was told that I have to be the Suna Ambassador's guide."

"…The Chuunin Exams, huh? Sounds nostalgic…" Naruto murmured.

"So, what are you going to do, Naruto?"

"Huh? About what?"

"'About what'? The Chuunin Exams, obviously! You're the only one in our age group who hasn't become a Chuunin yet!"

Three seconds.

"WHAT?" Naruto exploded. "S-so, Sakura-chan's a Chuunin as well?"

The pink-haired girl smiled, flashing him a peace sign. "That's right."

"And Ami, too?"

"Yep." the brunette grinned.

"On a side note," Shikamaru added, "Kankuro from Sunagakure, this person," he gestured to Temari, "and Neji have all become Jounin."

"Then, Gaara! What about Gaara?"

* * *

As it turned out, Gaara had become Kazekage.

* * *

"Gaara became Kazekage?" Naruto asked quietly, voice sounding hollow.

He clenched his fist at his side and stared at the ground.

Ami frowned. 'He feels really left behind now, doesn't he?'

"Amazing!" the boy then whispered, a smile coming back onto his face. "I'm not going to lose, either!" He raised an arm and pointed up at the stone faces on the mountains, which now included Tsunade's visage, "I'll definitely become Hokage! Just watch me Gaara!"

Sakura and Ami smiled.

'Looks like he has grown up a little bit after all.' the pink-haired girl smiled to herself.

Ami grinned. 'He bounces back even better than before.'

* * *

Naruto was pacing back and forth, looking very impatient, Sakura and Ami leaning against a wire fence.

"How long is Kakashi-sensei gonna make us wait?" he exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

"Well, he's always been like this." Sakura shrugged.

"He hasn't changed, Naruto."

The blond dropped to the ground, sitting in a lotus position with a sigh of; "Seriously… I wish he would work on that a bit."

Sakura chuckled. Ami just smiled.

In a bang of smoke, Kakashi appeared on top of the fence wearing a silly grin underneath his mask. "Hey! My bad, my bad. Actually, while on the way here, I saw old woman who needed some help-"

Sakura and Naruto interrupted with angry shouting about how late he was, whilst Ami smirked slightly at the nostalgia of the scenario.

* * *

The group of four walked out onto their old training grounds with the same three posts there had been all that time ago, on the first day they had come together with Sasuke, as the newly arranged Team Seven, fresh out of the academy.

* * *

"Remember this place, Naruto?" Ami asked, nudging the blond boy slightly before nodding towards the wooden columns. "You ended up tied to one of those."

"Now that you mention it, this was your first training ground, wasn't it?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his new book.

"We were Team Seven." Sakura said quietly, looking down at the ground sadly.

"Four-man cell eh?" Naruto frowned.

Ami clutched the necklace inside her shirt through the blue material, remaining silent.

"At that time, Sasuke was with us…" Kakashi said quietly, before cringing at his own words as his students all suddenly became very depressed; Sakura sitting on the ground, hugging her legs, Naruto on his hands and knees, mumbling into the dirt, Ami curled up in the fetal position. 'Sasuke's name is taboo around these three…'

There was a jingle of bells and the group of teenagers looked up curiously.

"Well, I'm going to see how much you've improved." the masked man said, holding up three familiar silver bells. "You haven't given up on Sasuke, right?"

"Of course not." Sakura said firmly.

"Not a chance." Ami grinned.

"That's why I've been training." Naruto smirked.

Kakashi nodded in agreement, putting away the bells. "The rules are the same as when we first did this. You can use whatever tricks you like as long as you get the bells from me. Come at me-"

"Like we're going to kill you." Naruto smirked.

"Or else, we won't be able to get them. Right?" Sakura finished.

Kakashi chuckled. "Exactly. You have until tomorrow."

Naruto tightened his forehead protector, Sakura pulled on her black gloves, Ami adjusted her belts and Kakashi snapped his book shut.

"So, shall we begin?"

"You aren't going to fight while reading that book this time, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto taunted.

"Or did you already finish it?" Sakura smirked.

"No, I'm going to have to put that hobby aside for the moment." Kakashi said, tucking the novel away. "Besides, it kinda feels like I'm going to have to be serious this time." He pushed up his forehead protector, revealing his scarlet left eye, closing his right.

The trio stared at the Jounin, all three already in stances.

"HERE I GO!" Naruto bellowed.

Well, his volume hadn't changed.

The boy flung three shuriken at the silver-haired man, who ducked and threw three back.

Naruto jumped out of the way and once the blond was in the air, Kakashi threw another three.

Naruto made a seal and had a Kage Bunshin appear beside him, then pulling its original out of the way and dropping to the ground with him, before turning into a huge shuriken in the original's hands with a 'Henge'. The blond went to throw it when Kakashi pinned him, grabbing hold of the gigantic weapon.

"Okay, that's enough of that." he said.

Sakura and Ami were grinning in admiration of the boy. He had seriously grown, and unlike the way their sensei had pinned him in their first training session, this time there was a grinning Kage Bunshin behind Kakashi with a kunai pointed at the masked man's back.

"Your timing with Kage Bunshin has improved as well. You've grown Naruto. But… it looks like you're as impatient as ever. I haven't even said 'start' yet."

They all had a brief moment of déjà vu as they thought about how the exact same thing had happened the first time.

"Well then, let's begin."

Sakura and Ami adjusted their stances.

"Ready… start!" The man vanished in a bang of smoke.

"Damn.. I've been tricked!" Naruto sulked.

"Dammit, Naruto you _twit!_" Sakura cried, exasperated.

They all looked around, trying to see where their sensei was hiding.

Suddenly, Ami noticed a difference in the water levels under the ground in a particular spot.

A particular spot shaped like a person.

"_Sakura!_"

"_I know!_"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as the pink-haired girl drove a fist into the ground and the terra split into pieces, massive chunks of rock and dirt flying up, dust clouds flooding the air.

By the looks of things, Tsunade had taught her far more than just medical techniques.

Ami almost laughed at the looks on Naruto and Kakashi's faces. She'd seen this done many times before in sparring sessions with the girl, but it never failed to amaze her.

She had been fascinated when the girl had clarified it to her, explaining that she built up as much Chakra in the body part, usually an arm or leg, as she could, then released it all at once, something only someone with Sakura's control abilities would be able to achieve. She couldn't do it in a million years.

"Kakashi-sensei." Sakura smiled, looking at the man like a cat licking its lips at the sight of prey, "I found you."

Ami flew at the man once he hopped up out of his little hole, forming numerous seals before blasting him with a massive gust of wind that actually lifted him up off the ground and into the air, throwing him over a hundred yards into a lake, where he landed with a splash. She dashed out onto the water, still forming seals, and bound him with an ice technique, using his lightning-style Chakra nature against him.

* * *

A thought crossed the blond's mind as he looked at the ground that had disintegrated like crumble under Sakura's fist, and Ami attacking the masked man with terrifyingly strong wind and ice jutsu, not even wanting to think about what level the Konno's water techniques must be at now;

His teammates, despite being female, were no more fairy princesses than Jiraiya.

* * *

The silver-haired man used a substitution jutsu and replaced his body with a log inside the solid aqua cage and Ami cursed.

He'd gotten away.

* * *

It was almost sundown.

Naruto, Sakura and Ami were all hidden in the darkening forest, watching for their sensei as he ran through the trees, suddenly stopping.

'He's noticed us.' Ami thought, giving Naruto a nod, and the blond flung kunai at the man, flying out from behind the tree.

The silver-haired man blocked them with his own knife and proceeded to fight the boy, sparks flying as the steel blades collided. Both males landed silently and turned to face each other, Ami and Sakura coming out on either side of the blond.

"I'm going to teach you something." Kakashi said, "Ninja tactic know-how number one: Taijutsu!" He darted for Naruto, throwing a kick, a punch, then another kick, all of which the boy dodged before jumping up onto a tree limb.

"_Gotcha!_" Sakura yelled, flying for the man, throwing blows, all evaded by the sensei, who knew upon seeing a thick tree the pinkette hit by mistake snap and fall like a twig that if he was hit even _once_, it was over.

The brunette shot for the masked sensei, who formed a Raikiri in his right hand, flying at the girl with his arm crackling. In turn, the girl covered her arm in wind Chakra, much to the man's shock, and negated the attack totally. There was a short scramble between the two before Ami very nearly hitting him in the chest, only to be thrown over his shoulder and slammed hard into the earth.

Naruto formed a hand seal and made several Kage Bunshin, which attacked the man as Ami rolled out of the way.

The clones were little trouble for Kakashi, who even went as far as flinging one into a tree, before using Lee's technique of initial lotus on three Narutos at once, thankfully, none of which were the original, who then leapt up out of a bush and attempted a kancho prank on the sensei.

Much to Naruto's disappointment, however, the attack missed as Kakashi leapt up into the air and out of the way, seeming rather terrified.

Sakura destroyed the tree he stood before with a powerful kick, and the silver-haired man ran out of harm's way, panting heavily as he looked at the other three.

'It was so easy back in the day… Even though they've been apart for so long, Sakura, Ami and Naruto aren't a bad combination… and I _really_ want to know what happens in the new book…'

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

The clearing filled with Naruto's likeness.

'As always, I'm amazed by the sheer number of them.' Kakashi thought, before rushing into combat, Narutos exploding left right and centre when hit.

Sakura punched the ground again and smashed the earth into pieces, nearly crushing Kakashi while popping several clones, and Ami shot a massive wave of water at the man, which he dodged, trees and boulders being swept away with the force in his stead.

'My, my. Looks like there'll be no time for reading. Now then, what should I do?'

* * *

Sakura, Ami and Naruto were walking through the forest, now deep into the dead of night, searching for Kakashi.

"I'm pretty sure that I heard the sound of bells from over here." Naruto said.

"There is a chance that he may have rung them intentionally." Sakura said. "Be careful."

"Yeah, this is Kakashi sensei, after all."

Ami froze.

In front of her and the others stood a familiar figure, stuck full of kunai and bleeding.

"…_Sasuke…_" she whispered.

"Sasuke!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

"N-Naruto! Sakura! A-Ami!" the bleeding boy wheezed, staggering towards them. "Help me! I escaped from Orochimaru! Please help me! Naruto! Sakura! A-!"

Ami felt the cold stone beneath her top rub against her skin and scowled, shouting a "Kai!" as she raised two fingers, dispelling the Genjutsu, as did the others. '_Fucking Kakashi-sensei!_ That's fucking _low_. That trick's not dirty, it's _filthy_, so at least make a decent effort at it. Sasuke wouldn't still be _twelve_.'

"It's too bad." Sakura said, "I would've liked to have talked to Sasuke-kun a little longer but… kai!"

The Genjutsu vanished.

"Sorry, but I don't have any interest in illusions." Sakura said while Naruto made a clone and began forming rasengan. "Naruto, Kakashi-sensei is hiding behind that tree."

"Yeah, I know." the blond grunted, before leaping forward and boring through the tree, Kakashi fleeing out from behind it.

"Kakashi-sensei." Sakura called. "You have something to say to me, don't you?"

"Hmm?"

"I didn't quite get it the first time." the girl smiled.

Kakashi sighed. "_Ninja tactics know-how number two: Genjutsu._" he droned, seeming vaguely depressed. 'Back then she fell for it so easily… I knocked out Ami with a light _pat_ with just a little bit of Chakra as well… now if I tried that she'd probably blow my head off my shoulders.'

"Kakashi-sensei, you're not putting enough into it." Sakura smiled, "There's no way we'd fall for the same tricks again."

"That's right! That's right!" Naruto grinned.

"No, that isn't always going to be the case." Kakashi said, looking towards the ground at a glint of silver.

Naruto beamed. "Sweet! The bells!"

"Naruto! Don't!" Sakura cried, but she was too late.

The blond was lifted up by the ankle in a simple trap, exactly the same way he was at twelve.

"See? At least Naruto is going to fall for the same-"

Naruto popped in a bang of smoke.

A clone.

Kakashi's eyes widened.

"There's no way I'm falling for that one!" the blond yelled, jumping up behind the sensei and decking him in the face with a punch.

There was a pop of white smoke and the trio realized that it was a replacement.

"Damn…"

"Idiot! That's why I told you to stop!" Sakura chastised.

Up in a tree, Kakashi smiled. 'I guess those old tricks really won't work anymore.

* * *

Kakashi knocked away several kunai thrown by Naruto before pinning Sakura's arm behind her, then kicking her away when he realized she was one of Naruto's transformed clones. The real Sakura flew down from above, fist filled with Chakra and he dodged, the pink-haired girl's appendage smashing up the ground again.

Ami shot a ribbon of water at the man and wrapped it around his ankles before freezing it, rooting him to the spot. She then kicked him as hard as she could in the face, and his head went flying off before hitting the ground with a thud and turning to mud, along with the rest of his body.

'An earth bunshin.' she realized, cursing as she picked up on the man's presence in a bush behind her when he burst from the foliage.

"Trying to beat me by sheer force of numbers?" Kakashi grunted, fleeing from the trio.

* * *

Standing out in the clearing, facing each other, Kakashi spoke to the three younger shinobi.

"Ninja tactics know-how number three: Ninjutsu!"

He slid back and began making seals at a speed faster than their eyes could keep up with.

"Katon; Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

A massive fireball erupted from the man's mask and rushed towards Sakura, Naruto and Ami, who leapt out of the way of the spherical inferno as it carved a gorge in the loam.

"Where's he gone…?" Naruto pondered aloud.

No sooner had he spoken these words than Kakashi grabbed the boy from below and dragged him down, much in the same way he had to Sasuke the first time round.

Naruto popped in a burst of smoke.

Naruto, Ami and Sakura came flying towards the man, and he made several hand seals too fast to identify before jumping back onto the water.

"Suiton, Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

Water swelled up behind the man before rushing towards the masked man's opponents, sweeping up Sakura and Naruto, but being run atop of by Ami, who headed straight for the sensei.

Kakashi fled with smoke bombs as cover to escape his pursuers.

Ami shut her eyes and relied solely on her divining to find her way out, locating tree branches, soil and a body of water as she chased the running body before her, though having the advantage of sight, he quickly outran her.

Once Ami found that the smell of the bomb had left the air, she opened her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of a lake.

She searched below the water for a few seconds with divining, then dipped her face below the surface to double-check, turning and running back onto the land upon finding nothing.

The kunoichi froze at the muffled sound of the sensei's voice and looked around quickly.

Then she realized what he was saying.

"Doton; ishi na haka no jutsu!"

The brunette's eyes widened as six slabs of stone shot up out of the ground and closed her inside them, before dropping back down below the earth, effectively burying her alive.

Sakura and Naruto appeared behind her just in time to witness this.

Naruto's eyes widened. "_Ami!_"

* * *

The girl was calm inside the earth-style prison, eyes closed in the dark. She made several hand signs and placed her palms on the side closest to the surface.

"Fuuton;_ uteiru bakufuu no jutsu!_"

* * *

The ground above Ami's prison shattered in a massive explosion, with a boom that could probably be heard miles away.

Naruto's jaw dropped and he fell over again, shock flooding his brain as his brunette teammate shot up out of the ground, dust filling the air. '_What happened to the girls…?_' he wondered, still incapable of grasping the amount they had grown.

The trio looked around furiously for the sensei, but he was nowhere to be found.

* * *

They'd lost him again.

* * *

"Using Katon, Doton, Suiton and Raiton all in a row… Normal people can't do that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Well the name Copy Ninja isn't just for show." Sakura said, "When we look at him now, we can truly appreciate how amazing he actually is."

"Yeah." Naruto agreed.

Once the group were convinced that there was enough distance, they stopped for a rest.

"I already knew it, but…" Sakura said panting, the full moon illuminating her face to the others, "That Sharingan really isn't doing us any favours."

"Yeah." Naruto agreed.

"As well as that, his seal-making speed is too fast. It's difficult to get close. At any rate, if we can stop him using both his hands, we can get a shot at the bells."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, seriously… Kakashi-sensei's ridiculously strong. He's smarter than Shikamaru, has a better nose than Kiba, better Sharingan than Sasuke, better Taijutsu than Fuzzy Brows, and far more experience than us."

"Even he has a weakness, though." Ami said, "Everyone, no matter what their strength, has a weakness. Gaara's sand is terrifying, but if it were to get wet, it would become nothing more than useless sludge. Sakura's punches are insanely aggressive and powerful, but if she can't land a hit, it's useless. Neji's Byakugan are amazing, but kick dirt in his eyes and he might as well be blind."

"If we think about it…" Sakura mumbled.

Naruto stared at the ground, deep in thought. "Hmm… weak point… ah. I got it! He does have one!"

Sakura and Ami's jaws dropped.

Certainly, they'd both expected it to exist, but they hadn't expected Naruto to be the one to figure it out.

"You really know his weak point?" Sakura demanded.

Naruto sniggered with his mouth closed, the resulting noise being a strange kind of amused snorting. "Sakura-chan, just think about what he's being doing and you'll get it!"

"Quit being a know-it-all, Naruto! What is it?"

Another snorting laugh. "Well…"

* * *

Ami almost burst out laughing at the boy's explanation. "I can't _believe_ this! _How _did we not think of that?"

"I can't believe he has a weak point like that!" Sakura exclaimed, utterly exhilarated.

"It makes sense when you think about what he's been doing, doesn't it?" the blond beamed.

"Yeah, yeah! If it works, his hands and Sharingan will be out of the picture!"

"And then we take that chance!" the boy grinned.

"Naruto!" Sakura grinned, "You really are the Number One Unpredictable Ninja!"

* * *

The three jumped in from the front, heading straight towards the man, right in his face.

"Attacking from the front? You guys are seriously underestimating me!" Kakashi yelled.

"_Now, Naruto!_" Sakura cried.

"_Let's go, Kakashi-sensei!_" the boy yelled, grabbing the silver-haired man's attention, "_The final twist in Icha Icha Tactics is-!_"

Kakashi's eyes widened. "_What!_"

"_The thing about the main character is that he-!_"

Kakashi clapped his hands over his eyes, then swore and snapped his eyes shut upon remembering his Sharingan's ability to read lips.

After several moments of silence, broken only by the jingling of bells, he slowly opened his eyes.

Naruto, Sakura and Ami all stood before him, grinning with bells hanging from their fingers.

Kakashi made a noise like a strangled rooster.

"Like you said, a ninja needs to look beneath the underneath." Naruto smirked.

"Right, sensei?" Sakura grinned, flashing a peace sign.

Ami jingled her bell to emphasize their victory.

Kakashi placed his head in his hands, sighed amusedly. "I guess you beat me..." he chuckled.

* * *

It was dark outside while Ami sat with Iruka and Naruto sitting at Ichiraku ramen; Kakashi having left, presumably to read Jiraiya's new book, and Sakura having decided to go to another restaurant after discovering that Naruto, after offering to treat her, would only be able to pay for half of her meal, mere minutes before Iruka came and took it upon himself to pay for the ramen of the remaining pair as he sat with them.

Ami sniggered to herself.

She was still unable to forget about the expression on Naruto's face after he had seen the ground disintegrate like crumble under a single blow from Sakura's fist, chunks of earth flying up into the air like bits of broken Styrofoam, and herself attacking the masked man with wind and ice jutsu, barely fazed by the use of Chakra.

It had been vaguely disappointing that in the end they had had to trick their sensei with spoilers of the porn novel in his back pocket, but nonetheless, the silver-haired man had acknowledged them as equals to him, resulting in the newly-formed Team Kakashi.

Naruto had also improved vastly; his blows faster and stronger, mind quicker and timing with Kage Bunshin much better, but the blond had seemed to forget that his teammates were also training, and had more than likely still thought of them as the young girls from two and a half years ago, when Sakura still cried easily and had very little brawn in comparison to brains and Ami shook like a leaf at the sight of a storm.

Oh well, it wasn't as though she could really talk (And no, not because she was laughing too much); up until a day or so ago, she still imagined him as the giggly, bright (or rather, not so bright) boy she had met in the academy, who couldn't even do his jutsu properly.

After a while, Ami found her thoughts drifting towards her absent teammate; Sasuke, twiddling the necklace between her fingers.

'How will he have grown?' she wondered, wrinkling her nose slightly as she watched Naruto pop a piece of egg into his mouth, a vague thought of 'Eww, egg' crossing her mind hazily, as Naruto animatedly described his training from the past few years to the pony-tailed academy sensei, leaving for home after a while to give the pair some time together.

* * *

Eyes crusted with sleep, Ami came staggering down the stairs, bedhead in full, untamed glory, and pulled at several switches in a wall to disable the artifices on the house so that an unfortunate postman or the like didn't end up speared on his way to the building. Baby crept up behind the woman and scrambled up onto her shoulder, receiving a quick scratch behind the ears before the brunette returned to what she was doing, then headed back upstairs to get washed and dressed.

* * *

The bedroom was slightly messy, a few scrolls on the human body (mainly concerning information that she could apply if and when she used Tsukunaimen) littering the floor.

She picked it up, pulling off a spider before putting the scroll away in a small cupboard, then tidying up a few more things before pulling her mission outfit out of the closet and slipping it on.

She yawned, tears coming up in her eyes at the action.

It was earlier than she had to be up, but ever since sleeping in bed had cost her the chance to help get Sasuke back the day after he left, lying-in had lost its sweetness to the girl, and she no longer complained about early-rising, though she still walked like a zombie and had a tendency to trip over things.

She clipped on her water-laden belts and tied up her hair, before making her way down the stairs, stopping at the sight of the all-too-familiar photograph of the original Team Seven.

She picked up the photograph in its frame and frowned as a heavy feeling filled her chest.

'…Sasuke should've been there last night.'

* * *

The brunette rolled her eyes slightly at the sight of Kakashi wandering over, scratching the back of his head sheepishly as Naruto growled a 'You're late!' at him.

"You finally came." Sakura sighed.

"Hey! My bad, my bad. This time I got stuck writing up some documents for new teams."

"Today is our first mission together as a team!" Naruto rebuked, "You're not excited at all! Kakashi-sensei, you've always been like that!"

Sakura placed her hands over her ears. "Geez, seriously, stop whining! Kakashi-sensei's never shown any spirit, what makes you think he'd start today?"

Ami bit her lip, trying to hide a smirk at the look on their sensei's face.

In fact, he wasn't even their sensei anymore.

Now, he was just Kakashi.

He was clearly missing the days when they looked up to him like a god as if the sun shone out of his ass.

Or at least didn't just see him as a tardy porn-addict with no enthusiasm.

* * *

"A convoy transport escort?" Naruto exclaimed.

A vein bulged in Tsunade's brow.

"What? You got a problem with that?"

"It's only a C-rank! I'm gonna have to say 'No thank you' to that mission!"

Sakura frowned at her blond teammate. 'You just said you wouldn't complain.'

Kakashi's expression mirrored that of the pink-haired girl. 'Please don't be so selfish. If she gets mad, I'll be the one who gets it.'

Ami however, agreed with a simple nod of the head and a quiet 'Un'.

Tsunade glared at Shizune, who, judging by the painfully forced smile she was wearing, was the one responsible for the low-ranked mission.

Iruka sighed. "Naruto, you haven't matured at all."

"Naruto, I assigned you a simpler mission because you haven't been in action for a while." the blonde woman explained.

"_That's bull!_" Naruto retorted, in what may well have been the most vulgar-sounding voice he could muster, "_I don't need you to go easy on me!_"

Sakura grabbed the boy in a headlock and dug her knuckles into his head.

Tsunade placed a sealed envelope onto the desk before her and Ami watched silently as Kakashi stepped forward to take it, having reluctantly accepted that this was the mission they had been assigned, and so, they really didn't have a choice in the matter.

Naruto muttered something dark and Sakura's grip on the boy strengthened, just before a woman burst through the doorway.

"_There's an emergency Fifth!_" she cried out frantically, dashing towards the Hokage, paper in her hand.

"What's all the commotion?" Tsunade asked.

"We recently received an emergency message from the sand."

Team Kakashi's members' ears pricked up in curiosity.

* * *

As it turned out, Gaara had been kidnapped by Akatsuki, an organization made up of S-rank criminals from various villages. Sasuke's older brother, Uchiha Itachi was in it and even Orochimaru was believed to have been involved in the group at some time or another.

* * *

"We have more information pertaining to Akatsuki than they do, that's why they requested assistance from us." the large-busted woman explained, eyeing the shinobi before her intently.

* * *

The convoy could wait.

Team Kakashi had a new mission.

* * *

"Naruto, I know we're in a hurry, but don't get so far ahead of us!" Sakura chided, flying through the trees with her teammates.

"But, but-!"

"Don't get so worked up." Kakashi said. "Jiraiya-sama said the exact same thing, didn't he?"

"Seriously…" Sakura muttered, before noticing a familiar figure walking below them. "Temari-san!"

The group hopped down beside her.

The woman turned to face them.

"Have you heard?" Ami asked.

Temari's face took on a worried look. Women's intuition. "Heard what?"

"Gaara has been kidnapped by Akatsuki." the brunette explained, "We're on our way to help now."

The blonde's eyes widened. "What? Gaara was-!"

Kakashi nodded. "It'll take us two days to get to Sunagakure. Let's go."

* * *

It was now dark, and Naruto was still racing ahead of the others.

"Naruto! What did we just say?" Sakura cried out. "Stay together-"

"_I can't take this!_"

The eyes of each kunoichi widened.

"I know why they're after Gaara and me." the blond continued, "Sakura-chan, Ami, you both know why too, don't you?"

The others were silent.

Ami's brow furrowed. 'Naruto…?'

"Inside of me… The Kyuubi is sealed inside of me."

The eyes of the women widened in shock.

Kakashi's expression didn't change. He had already known for quite some time.

However, this revelation hit the boy's other teammates like a ton of bricks.

* * *

That was why Sakura had always been told he was a bad child that she should stay away from.

That was why he had been overjoyed when Ami had asked him over.

That was why the adults hated him.

That was why the other kids hated him.

That was why he was always alone.

That was why every now and then, his smile seemed a little fake.

* * *

"Gaara and I… We both have monsters inside our bodies. That's what those guys are after! _I hate it! They just see us as monsters!_ _I can't stand the way they view us! _He was just like I was. And he fought all on his own a lot longer than I did."

Ami felt tears in her eyes at the pain in the boy's voice.

"He's been targeted by Akatsuki. We're the same, again! And despite that… Why does everything bad always have to happen to him? It's always him! That's why…_ That's why I can't waste a second!_ This time, _I want to save him as fast as I can!_"

Ami could sense droplets flying through the air behind the boy.

He was crying.

So was she.

* * *

Daybreak had come.

Sakura went to put a soldier pill in her mouth when Kakashi popped up beside her.

"That's enough." he said, "Soldier pills are for emergencies only. Girls your age shouldn't overeat-"

She crushed the pill between her teeth and leapt off before the man in a huff.

'Is she angry…?' Kakashi wondered.

'A lot of people would call that sexual harassment, you old fart.' Temari thought, scowling at the man from behind.

Sakura came up beside Naruto, Ami following suit.

"Naruto…" the pink-haired girl said, "You've met him before, haven't you? You've met Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto grit his teeth.

"And he's after you." she continued, surprising the boy with her knowledge. "It's not like I did nothing but train for two and a half years. I had full access to Tsunade-sama's library and I used it as much as I could. And now I finally have a link to something I've always wanted to know more about. The person that Sasuke-kun wants to kill is his brother, Uchiha Itachi. He's a member of Akatsuki. That's why Sasuke-kun is with Orochimaru. To gain more power. But Orochimaru's goal is to take over Sasuke-kun's body and we only have half a year left!"

Ami glanced at the blond. 'Sakura and I both know all that… It's easy to tell Naruto's shocked.'

"Orochimaru was originally a member of Akatsuki. What I'm trying to say is, the closer we get to Akatsuki, the closer we get to finding information on Orochimaru, and the closer we get to Orochimaru, the closer we get to Sasuke-kun."

Ami bit her lip at the mention of the boy's name, the cold stone tapping against her skin inside her top.

'We _will_ get there in time.' she told herself, gripping the pendant in a fist till her knuckles turned white.

* * *

Once the group entered Sunagakure, they discovered that Kankuro had been poisoned when he went after Gaara, and no one in Suna had any idea how to neutralize it.

Kakashi had been attacked by a senile old woman before Sakura had set to work on the man.

As the others watched, they once again came to appreciate just how much Sakura had grown.

In less than three years, she'd gone from the pink-haired puppy that followed Sasuke around, to a Kunoichi with medical abilities and strength not much less than Tsunade's.

* * *

"You're just like that slug girl." the old woman, Chiyo said, eyeing Sakura, surprise and a small bit of bitterness evident in her voice, clearly jealous that a foreigner had been able to cure something that she, the sand's best poison specialist couldn't, "I never thought they'd send a woman like you to help us."

"Actually, Tsunade-sama is my master." Sakura smiled, "We're all here on her orders!"

"Here's a list of herbs." a male nurse said, handing the girl a piece of paper.

"Thank you."

"Nee-chan…" Chiyo's brother, Ebizou said, "times are changing, slowly but surely."

* * *

A message arrived for the Konoha shinobi, explaining that Team Gai had been sent as reinforcements.

Meanwhile, Kankuro regained consciousness, explaining to the others that Gaara's scent was the one to be followed, and even had a piece of one of the other ninja's masks for his scent.

Pakkun had found the place the enemy were hiding out, and the Konohagakure shinobi were decided to set out in the morning, resting for now.

* * *

Ami stared out at the sky, admiring the clarity of the stars with the cloudless sky, but also surprised at how soon it had gotten below freezing.

'Baked during the day and frozen during the night…' the thought to herself, 'What a harsh place to live. You could holiday here and come back with frostbite and a tan…'

The water-user shivered slightly and decided that she had been gazing at the sky long enough. She pulled the curtains of her room in Sunagakure shut and climbed into bed, huddling up in the sheets as her own body heat warmed her up.

'I wonder if I'll be strong enough to get Sasuke back… I certainly hope so, after what Ayano-sensei put me through.' Ami thought to herself, looking back on the training she had done under the woman, from neutralizing, or even changing the flowing direction of whirlpools to build up strength and accuracy of her water techniques, to using wind to change the firing direction of rocks (of all sizes) to hit targets, to freezing waterfalls for ice, and everything in-between. 'The nutty cow even _threw me into _a damn _maelstrom_ for the water training, and _flung me_ off a _cliff_ to get me to make myself land on a safe spot by moving the air around me. …It paid off though.'

The brunette shivered again, though she could feel the warmth increasing around her curled up frame, pulling the duvet right up to her nose.

'At least… I hope it did. ...I guess I'll see for real tomorrow.'

* * *

**By the way... is this dragging on too long? I'm beginning to worry about that. Or maybe it's just because of how long it takes for me to be able to update. Please tell me! I'm seriously panicking over this! D': I seem to have made you happy up until now, I don't want to stop here!**

* * *

**Katon; Goukakyuu no Jutsu - Fire Element; Great Fireball technique**

**Suiton; Suiryuudan no Jutsu - Water Element; Water Dragon Blast technique**

**Fuuton; uteiru bakufuu no jutsu - Wind Element; Shattering Blast technique**

**Doton; ishi na haka no jutsu - Earth Element; stone prison technique**


	26. Bijuu, Jinchuuriki and Barriers

_**REDONE VERSION**_

**I'd like to apologize for the chapter I'm sure I disappointed you all with a few days ago. You all said kind things, but I 'm still annoyed with myself, as I can do much better. :(**

**I really and truly cannot apologize enough.**

**My excuse?**

**Besides stress and an extremely upsetting week ruining my patience and messing up my head a fair bit, I don't have one.**

**Honestly, it was pure negligence, and the result of me just wanting to get it up and done (due to my irritable mood), sacrificing quality for speed; a **_**HUGE**_** mistake, and I sincerely apologize.**

**It was a blunder I do not wish to repeat, and will take **_**extreme**_** care not to.**

**Please forgive me. ****: (**

* * *

**I've redone this chapter, editing pretty much everything, and I'm far happier with it now, and I hope you all are too.**

**Sorry again, and thank you all for putting up with my foolishness and error.**

**I hope this makes up for it. :)**

* * *

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Bijuu, Jinchuuriki and Barriers

* * *

"As soon as the sand finishes their preparations, we'll be leaving with them to retrieve Gaara." Kakashi explained to his former students, who nodded.

"Sorry for making you wait." Temari said, choosing that particular moment to appear.

"Temari-san!" Sakura smiled.

"Are we all here?" Kakashi asked.

"Alright! Let's do it!" Naruto grinned, stretching.

"Wait!" Baki, a Sand Jounin who was once Gaara, Temari and Kankuro's sensei said, jumping down beside them. "Temari, you and your team will remain here on border patrol duty."

"What's the meaning of this?"

* * *

As it turned out, the higher-ups of the sand didn't want to let the sand shinobi go, in case words of Gaara's absence were to escape the village.

With Baki apologizing and saying that he would try to convince the higher-ups to let Suna help, the leaf shinobi turned and headed out into the desert, with Chiyo, the old woman who had attacked Kakashi in a case of mistaken identity and insisted on coming tagging along, towards the Akatsuki's den.

* * *

Once they crossed the desert, the ninja reached a forest, and were currently flying through the trees.

Ami felt herself relax slightly at the feel of water around her once more.

"Naruto?" Sakura said.

The blond looked at her curiously.

"Can I ask you something?"

The boy was silent, but kept eye contact with the girl.

"How long has Akatsuki been after you?"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, before looking down in front of himself.

"_I don't know._"

* * *

Kakashi explained to the other that Akatsuki had come after Naruto three years ago, but failed to capture him. He presumed that in the meantime, they had been unable to chase him again due to Jiraiya being with him, but Chiyo had another rationalization.

She explained about Bijuu, tailed beasts like the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed-Fox Demon of Konoha that had been sealed into Naruto, and Shukaku, the One-Tailed Raccoon Demon of Sunagakure, which were gigantic, mythical beasts with massive masses of Chakra, that people had tried and failed to control for use in wars for years.

People with Bijuu in their bodies were known as Jinchuuriki, and extracting a Bijuu, which they believed was what the Akatsuki were after Naruto, Gaara and the other Jinchuuriki for, took a lot of preparation.

* * *

The girls looked over at their blond teammate.

He now seemed very depressed.

Ami hopped up beside him and whispered to the Jinchuuriki. "Naruto."

The boy slowly raised his eyes to look at her.

"I can honestly say I never would have even considered the idea of you having a monster sealed inside you. You're nothing like a demon."

The boy looked away.

"I've thought about it, and my opinion of you hasn't changed a bit. I just understand you a little more. The same goes for Sakura. So don't get depressed. You and the Kyuubi may share the same body, but you're not the Kyuubi. _Never_ forget that."

Naruto seemed doubtful.

"_Naruto._"

He looked at her.

"I _mean it_." Ami said firmly, "Besides, what right have I to judge?" She rose her left hand to show the boy the diagonal line on her palm. "Right?" The brunette placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Don't worry about it."

The blond smiled back, now seeming a little more relaxed. "Thanks, Ami."

* * *

Running through the forest, the group was getting closer and closer to their enemy.

Suddenly, Kakashi threw his arms out in front of the others, coming to an abrupt halt.

"_Everyone, stop!_"

Their eyes widened at who they saw before them.

If Ami didn't recognize the man from the picture she'd seen all that time ago in her teammate's house, she definitely would have recognized him from the bingo book she had found in the library.

A tall, pale figure with long black hair in a ponytail and blood red eyes, wrapped in a dark cloak patterned with red clouds stood before them.

She didn't even need Naruto to identify the man.

Nevertheless, he did, and she almost shivered at the sound of the name.

"_Uchiha… Itachi_."

Chiyo stepped forward. "So, this is Uchiha Itachi? The kid who wiped out his whole clan?"

"It's been long time, Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun." the man said coolly.

Ami's face hardened. 'He has Sharingan, just like Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. Also… he's after Naruto, and he ruined Sasuke's life… I'll _never _forgive him…"

"Bastard…" Naruto growled, stepping forward, jabbing a finger at the man, "Not just me, but Gaara, too? I'm gonna _beat the fuck out of you!_"

The long-haired raven rose a hand.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "_Everyone! Don't look into his eyes, or you're finished!_" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Itachi's eye techniques, or Doujutsu take effect through your vision. You're okay as long as your eyes don't meet with his."

"Understood." Naruto said.

"But, then how do we fight him?" Sakura asked.

"Well… you focus on his feet and body and attack based on how he moves."

"That's easier said than done…" the pink-haired girl said, doing her best.

"The Uchiha clan?" Chiyo murmured, "It's been a long time since I've fought a Sharingan user. They're nothing special, though. There are plenty of ways to fight eye techniques."

"What should we do?" Naruto questioned.

"When it's one-on-one, run away. When it's two-on-one, get him from behind."

"What's that mean?" the blond asked, confused.

"'When it's one-on-one, run away' is obvious, right?" Chiyo replied, "In that situation, you can't win. But if it's two-on-one, if one guy gets caught in a Genjutsu, the other guy can attack from behind. If you attack the user, the Genjutsu vanishes. Or if an attack isn't possible, you can dispel the jutsu by hitting your ally. In other word, since there are several of us, one person will be the diversion and the rest will attack the Sharingan's blind spot from behind."

"I understand." Sakura said.

'I can't help anyone who gets caught.' Ami thought with a frown.

"I guess old people have their uses." Naruto grinned. "Okay, I'll attack him-"

"Wait." Kakashi grabbed the boy.

"Kakashi-sensei! What do you mean by wait?"

"Are you saying my tactics for fighting the Sharingan are wrong?" Chiyo inquired.

"Well, if we were talking about regular Genjutsu, your strategy would be fine. But in this case, things are a bit more complicated." the silver-haired sensei replied. "He uses the Mangekyo Sharingan, an eye technique far more powerful than a normal Sharingan. You suffer the full effect of his Genjutsu the instant you're caught. In other words, while it only seems to be a second to everyone else, it can feel like hours, or days for the one trapped in the illusion. I was lost in his phantom world for three days and ended up unconscious for a week. Dispelling the technique isn't possible."

"…He's a dangerous opponent." Chiyo whispered, awed, "Just who is he?"

"Impressive as always, Kakashi-san." Itachi said calmly. "You learned much from just one encounter with my Tsukiyomi."

"I'm not done, yet. After using that technique, you were very fatigued and retreated immediately. Besides using a large amount of Chakra, using that technique poses a huge risk to your eyes. Right, Itachi?"

"An impressive analysis, for having only seen it once."

"Itachi… how bad has your eyesight become?" the masked man inquired, placing a hand on his headband.

The S-rank criminal was taken aback.

There was a short silence before he spoke.

"Kakashi-san, you couldn't have…"

The Jounin made no reply.

Ami glanced curiously at her sensei.

The was a long spell of quietness.

Kakashi placed a hand on his head. "Well, I may have let my guard down last time, but I'm no slouch, you know. Things will be different this time."

Naruto grinned. "That goes for me too! You're making a big mistake if you thing I'm the same as last time!"

"Naruto, I'll take him." Kakashi said.

The boy blinked.

'He said something similar that time with Zabuza.' Ami thought, her brow furrowing, 'When he told us to leave him and run with Tazuna-san.'

Naruto had realized this as well. "_Don't tell me you mean 'not fighting is our teamwork' again!_"

"No." the man replied. "This time, I need you to back me up."

His teammates' eyes widened.

"While I'd like to act cool and say; 'You go on ahead'," the man continued, "I won't be able to hold him off by myself."

Ami couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at their sensei's acknowledgment of their capabilities.

"It's time for you to come with me, Naruto-kun." Itachi said, raising a finger as Kakashi flew at him.

Naruto suddenly went into a trance-like state and ran forward, forming a rasengan and ploughing it into thin air, Sakura and Chiyo instantly running up and forcing their Chakra into his body to break the illusion.

"_Naruto! Are you alright?_" Kakashi asked, sliding back from just after attacking Itachi.

The boy was in a state of confusion and shock. "Where was I…?"

"It was a Genjutsu. You're fine now. We injected our Chakra into you and canceled it out." Sakura explained.

"What happened to the Kage Bunshin?" the blond asked.

"Kage Bunshin?" Chiyo questioned. "He hasn't made any."

"You just ran out and used Rasengan on an empty space." Sakura said. "Remember?"

"Must've been Genjutsu." Ami said.

"He's got more up his sleeve than just Doujutsu." Chiyo said, mouth forming a thin line.

"Now then, it's time to get serious." Kakashi said, glaring at their opponent, "Get it together Naruto."

The boy was still in dumbfounded.

Sakura placed a hand on his face and the blond flinched at her touch.

"Hey. Snap out of it." the girl said as he stared fearfully at her.

"Naruto, Ami, follow my lead!" Kakashi ordered.

At his words, the boy slid into a fighting stance, finally recomposed, and Ami placed her hands on her water pouches, sending Chakra through the material of the canisters, readying them for use.

The silver-haired man flew for the raven and Ami followed suit.

"Katon; Housenka no jutsu!" Itachi said, placing his right hand in a pinching position as he blew several small fireballs through his fingers, Ami whipping out her aqua and dousing the flames before swinging at the man, missing by a few inches when he dodged the attack and followed up with a fireball, which they all dodged.

Kakashi attacked with a Raikiri and Itachi dodged, before seemingly being hit by a well-aimed Rasengan from Naruto, though revealing himself as unscathed once the dust cleared, standing before a large crater.

Ami cursed mentally, hiding behind a tree. 'It was a Kage Bunshin.'

A mist began forming.

'Is this from Itachi?' she wondered.

The raven-haired man spoke out in the clearing.

"Kirigakure no jutsu." he said, "Certainly a good choice for making it harder to use Genjutsu. However, before my Sharingan, techniques like this are meaningless. Can we stop this foolish game of hide and seek, Kakashi-san?"

The masked Jounin stepped out in front of the Missing-Nin. "I suppose so." He quickly flung three kunai, which Itachi dodged whilst forming seals and shooting a huge fireball at the man, who disappeared into a hole under the ground, presumably with an earth technique of some kind, before shooting up out of the ground in front of Itachi, aiming to punch him in the head, but ending up in a hold where he was forced to look into Itachi's eyes and instantly caught in a Genjutsu.

Ami's lips curled into a smile when she sensed a second Kakashi moving under the ground, and realized about the same time as Itachi did that the one he had pinned was just a bunshin.

The original crawled up out of the hole. "_Ignore my Kage Bunshin and take him out, Naruto!_"

The brunette's eyes widened in amazement at the huge Rasengan the boy attacked with, making a massive crater that ripped apart half the clearing and sent hit Itachi square in the stomach and sent him flying.

Ami ran out from her hiding place over to Naruto, who's shadow clone vanished with a pop.

"What's wrong?" she questioned.

The blond looked displeased.

Kakashi came over. "Something's wrong." he said. "Let's go find the body."

* * *

The group's eyes widened with horror.

It was a Sand Jounin, Yuura, who had served on Suna's council for four years, and went missing right before Gaara's kidnap.

At the moment, the prospect of him having been an Akatsuki spy was likely.

The puzzling thing was how he had been made into such a flawless Itachi likeness, with jutsu and all. It was too strong to be a plain old Henge.

Pulling out a scroll and ink well, Chiyo explained how people had always and still tried to control Bijuu by sealing them inside people to suppress their powers, those people then being named Jinchuuriki, before sending off her message with a mechanical bird she summoned.

It seemed guaranteed from the fact that they had used such a high-level technique simply to delay them that the Akatsuki had already begun extracting Shukaku from Gaara, and the need to rescue the boy became even more urgent.

Not just because of the fear of the raccoon demon's power falling into the wrong hands, but because of the final part of the old woman's explanation.

* * *

Bijuu extraction kills the Jinchuuriki involved.

* * *

Naruto was panting as the group flew through the trees.

'Looks like he's not used to that big Rasengan yet.' Ami thought, recalling the huge ball of Chakra the blond had used to rip the faux Itachi to pieces.

The sky was orange as the sun got closer and closer to setting, and having been traveling and fighting all day was beginning to take its toll on the shinobi.

"_Stop!_" Kakashi suddenly yelled.

"_What's wrong?_" Naruto asked, coming to an immediate halt.

"Let's take a break here for a while." the masked man said.

"A wise decision." Chiyo said solemnly.

Naruto was pissed. "_Why? _You just said we don't have any time, Kakashi-sensei! If we stay here and take a break, Gaara will-!"

"Our pace has slowed considerably since our fight with the fake Itachi." The silver-haired man interrupted him.

"He's right." Sakura said, and Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Resting up now will allow us to reach our goal more quickly." Kakashi said, speaking softly, "And tomorrow, we may have to fight the guys who kidnapped Gaara. We need to be at one hundred per cent."

Naruto's face softened in understanding. "…All right." he said quietly.

* * *

Things had been going very smoothly since the group had rested up, and were currently heading towards the enemy's hideout.

Too smoothly.

"Why haven't we been attacked again?" Ami asked, "…Do you think they've already finished their business with Gaara?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "_No way…_"

Thinking of how unfair it was that despite the fact that he himself had eventually gotten friends, Gaara had always been alone, Naruto's face twisted in ire.

He shot far ahead of them with a single bound.

Chiyo's eyes widened. "That boy-!"

"Naruto! Wait!" Sakura cried, jumping after him, Ami following trying to catch up.

* * *

Team Kakashi and Chiyo arrived at the hideout, a cave hidden behind a rock in a valley with a river to find team Gai having just arrived.

"You're late, Kakashi." the bowl-cut sensei grinned.

"No, no. We ran into some trouble on the way here." Kakashi said, using Chakra to stand on the water's surface, as did the others.

The younger green oddity smiled. "Naruto-kun! Sakura-san! Ami-san!"

"Hey, Lee." the brunette chirped back.

"Hey, Kakashi. You weren't talking about me, were you?" Chiyo asked, brow creasing even more than usual.

"_Yo!_" Naruto growled, eyes slit and scarlet, whisker markings seeming slightly rougher and thicker.

Neji, shocked at the blond's appearance, looked towards Ami for answers, who gave him a look that clearly said; 'Not my place.'

"You guys were a bit quicker than us." Sakura said as Team Kakashi approached the others with Chiyo.

"Who's this elderly woman?" Tenten asked.

"Ah, this is Suna's senior consultant, Chiyo-baasama." Sakura smiled, introducing the woman.

"Pleased to meet you." the gray-haired lady smiled, flashing a peace sign and a toothless grin.

"Now then, shall we do this, Kakashi?" Gai asked.

"Yeah."

"Neji, take a look inside." the bushy-browed sensei ordered.

"Byakugan." the long-haired brunette said, speaking the name of his bloodline aloud, dilating his previously unseen pupils and causing the veins on the sides of his face to swell into thick channels. "The inside is rather wide and spacious, but…"

"But?" Lee pressed.

"I can't get a good image of what it's like inside. It seems like there's some people there."

Naruto spoke up. "Neji, is Gaara…? Hey! What's happening to _Gaara?_"

"_Wait! _I'm searching for him now!" the brunette Hyuuga hushed the boy.

"_Neji!_" the blond yelled again, clearly impatient.

"_Hey!_" the Jounin growled, before pale eyes widened in shock as he spotted something else.

"W-what is that?"

"What is it? Oi! What do you see, Neji?"

"_Let go._" the Hyuuga said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"...It's hard for me to explain."

Ami's brow furrowed. It unnerved her to see the usually composed Hyuuga so disturbed.

"Which means…" Tenten said, looking towards the blocked cave.

"Which means we'll have to see it for ourselves?" Lee asked, looking towards the large rock covering the entrance, a seal placed on the huge stone, labeling it as 'forbidden'.

"In which case, I'll keep it short." Gai said, placing a hand on his doppelganger's shoulder before flipping back across the water and shooting for the boulder and swinging a fist at it.

Despite the clear brute force behind the blow, the stone remained unharmed.

"A barrier, huh?" the bowl-cut man said, brow creased in annoyance.

"What do we do?" Lee asked.

"First we have to remove the barrier." Gai said.

"How?" Tenten asked.

"And we need to find out what kind of barrier it is." Sakura said, looking up at the seal.

"Yeah." the green sensei agreed.

There was a brief silence.

"How do you see it?" Chiyo asked.

"This is a five seal barrier, isn't it?" Kakashi said.

"I agree."

"Meaning?" Ami prodded.

* * *

A five seal barrier was a barrier made by placing 'forbidden' seals in different places. There was one forbidden seal in front of them and four others somewhere else. If you didn't remove all five seals at the one time, you couldn't remove the barrier.

* * *

Neji activated Byakugan to search for the other seals and quickly found them one by one.

"One's on top of a boulder, about five-hundred metres northeast of here." he said, veins bulging beside his eyes. "The second is on a tree trunk in a gorge, about three hundred and fifty metres south-southeast. The third one is on a cliffside, six-hundred metres to the northwest, and the last is in a forest almost eight hundred metres southwest of here. Those are the four locations."

"In which case, they're pretty far away." Sakura said. "What's the signal going to be?"

"That's no problem." Gai said, reaching inside his bag. "These wireless radios can cover that distance."

"Brilliant." Ami grinned as the man flashed the thumbs up and a shining smile.

"So, we'll get directions from Neji and find those seals." Gai continued, "We will remove the four seals surrounding the area. If this is a race against the clock, then my team is the fastest."

Kakashi nodded.

"I'm counting on you!" Naruto grinned, returning the thumbs-up.

* * *

Once the wireless radio settings were all set (not before Lee blasting the ears off everyone with a radio when he shouted into his microphone, and Gai insisting on a ridiculous cheer before leaving) the group split up and each headed in their individual directions.

* * *

Naruto turned to the others, truly impressed. "That's great! It's great that they're so pumped up! Hey! Hey! How about we do it too?"

"I'd rather die." Sakura said, shooting him down instantly.

"Not a chance." Ami sighed.

"Yup." Kakashi agreed.

"Fool." Chiyo scolded.

* * *

With nothing left to do, Pakkun left with a pop and Kakashi jumped up beside the seal on the rock.

"The same time the seals are removed, Sakura will destroy the boulder in the entrance." Kakashi said, as the pink-haired girl backed up for a run at the stone, "That's our signal to break in and retrieve Gaara."

Gai spoke on the other end of the radio. "Kakashi. How are things there?"

"Ready when you are." he replied. "We'll go in with the button hook entry."

Chiyo nodded.

"Got it!" Naruto said.

"'Kay." Sakura grinned.

"Roger." Ami said.

"One, two, _three!_" Gai cried on the other end of the radio, and Kakashi ripped the seal from the boulder.

"_Sakura!_"

"_Right!_" The girl flew across the water and drove a fist into the stone, crushing it with terrifying power.

The Konoha-Nin and Chiyo waited silently as chunks of stone continued dropping into the water they stood on, and once the falling rubble ceased, they swiftly entered the dark cave at a signal from Kakashi.

Their eyes widened.

A long-haired blond Akatsuki member with his hair tied up in a ponytail, bangs covering his left eye, and missing his left arm was sitting nonchalantly on top of a motionless Gaara, beside him a short, large, hunchbacked man, who's cloak covered his body with only a mean-looking masked head sticking out at the front, nothing in his sleeves. He didn't seem entirely human.

The hair on the back of Ami's neck stood up.

No liquid in Gaara's body was moving.

No blood was pumping.

They were too late.

"So then, I wonder which one is the Jinchuuriki." the blond man said.

Ami suddenly became aware of Naruto shaking in rage beside her, his blue eyes turning to red slits, whiskers darkening.

"YOU BASTARDS! I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP!"

"The one who screams and charges first… is that him?" the short man asked in a low, gravely voice.

"Looks that way." the blond man smirked, grunting at the end of his sentence.

Naruto's blood was boiling. "_BASTARD! Where the hell do you think you're sitting!_"

The blond Akatsuki member smirked. "There's no mistaking it. He's the Jinchuuriki. The fist thing he'll do is scream and charge at you. Itachi actually described him quite accurately."

Ami swore under her breath.

"_Gaara!_" the orange leaf-nin yelled, "_How can you be asleep at a time like this? Stand up!_"

Sakura and Kakashi looked sadly at the boy.

Ami felt her heart ache for the blond, but kept her eyes on the enemy, as did Chiyo.

"_Gaara! Hey! Are you listening? Stop it already-!_"

"_Enough, Naruto!_" Kakashi interrupted, scolding the boy's lack of control, "You should already know."

"That's right. You get it don't you?" the pony-tailed man said, tapping Gaara's cheek lightly with the back of his hand, "He's been dead for a while."

Naruto's face twisted in wild rage.

"He's definitely the Jinchuuriki." the man grunted to his silent partner.

Sakura's eyes widened.

Ami's scowl deepened.

"_Give him back._" Naruto growled. "_Give Gaara back, YOU BASTARDS!_" He flew at the men, but Kakashi shot out in front of him, blocking his way.

"Calm down. If you rush in without thinking, we're all dead." the silver -haired man said solemnly.

There was a short silence.

The second Akatsuki member looked over at Gaara's corpse.

"What's wrong, Sasori-no-Danna?" the blond man asked.

"I'll take him." the strange looking man said. "It appears that this Jinchuuriki wants to take him back."

The Akatsuki member smirked at Naruto's distraught face. "Looks like it."

* * *

Ami scowled as the two men began arguing nonchalantly in front of them about who was going to fight Naruto, referring to him simply as 'the Jinchuuriki' the conversation eventually turning to what true art was, Naruto becoming outraged as the pair continued their debate as if the Konoha-Nin and Chiyo weren't even there, and they were sipping tea in a café.

Naruto, eventually losing patience, yanked out a scroll and pulled a huge shuriken from it, flinging it at the short man, who blocked it without even looking, a large, jointed, metal tail shooting up out from under his cloak, poison dripping from the tip, no doubt the same substance that had nearly killed Kankuro.

The blond stood up and looked down into his palm, within which a pair of lips resided chewing a small piece of white clay before spitting it out, which he then modeled himself into a bird-like figurine.

Throwing it up into the air, the blond made a hand sign and with a bang, the bird grew to a size that would fill a small room, flapping and moving like a living creature, before picking up Gaara in its mouth and flying off out of the cave, the former Jinchuuriki's legs hanging out in an almost comical fashion.

* * *

Naruto shot after him.

Ami swore. "_Naruto! Stop! He wants you to follow him!_"

The boy didn't listen.

"_Fuck!_" she looked at Sakura, "I'm going."

Kakashi looked at the other two women. "Naruto, Ami and I will take care of the guy outside. Sakura and Chiyo-baasama, I'll leave this guy to you. But don't take any unnecessary risks. Wait for Team Guy and the others to come back."

"Got it." Sakura said.

With that said, the masked man followed his two former students out of the cave.

* * *

Deidara, as they had learned the blond man's name to be during the conversation between him and Sasori, his partner, was circling above them. He looked displeased to see Ami and Kakashi following.

Kakashi touched the wireless radio on his neck to speak to Gai, requesting back up, but from the sound of things, they were a little bit caught up with a trap the enemy had set for them; fighting exact replicas of themselves which had appeared as soon as they had removed the tags.

* * *

"_Give Gaara back!_" Naruto yelled, almost looking ready to cry.

Kakashi pulled up his forehead protector and opened his red left eye.

Ami injected Chakra into the water on her hips.

"Should you really be fighting me?" Deidara asked, smirking down at them. "Sharingan Kakashi-sensei, just for the record, Sasori-no-Danna is stronger than me. …Probably. Although our opinions differ greatly on what real art is. …Looks like they've started."

Kakashi, Naruto and Ami looked worriedly back inside the cave, where Chiyo and Sakura had begun their attack.

"You think a little girl and an old hag will be enough to stand up against Sasori-no-Danna?"

There was a short silence as the leaf shinobi studied the man up above them.

'This guy is dangerous, Ami thought, recalling the amount of people that Gaara had destroyed so easily, and taking the Suna shinobi's development to the point where he became Kazekage into consideration, with this man having beaten him single-handedly (no pun intended) Deidara was a very dangerous man. They'd have to be on their toes, or they could seriously die.

Naruto spoke in a low voice, not taking his eyes off Deidara. "Ami… Kakashi-sensei… Please go to Sakura-chan."

The pair turned and stared at him in shock, the blond Akatsuki smirking up above them.

Naruto leapt up towards the clay bird, face twisted in fury.

"_I'll save Gaara!_" he roared.

Deidara simply laughed, flying out of the Jinchuuriki's way, leaving the blond to smash into the side of a cliff.

Ami swore, pinning several flying bombs the man sent at her with an ice technique to the side of the cliff away from Naruto, where they detonated.

Kakashi came out from a hiding spot he had gone to when escaping an explosion.

Naruto appeared from the side of the crag, pushing out from inside the hole he had created when he smashed, power of the Kyuubi leaking out into his body, eyes still crimson and whiskers thickened, canines unnaturally sharp, pieces of rock crumbling around him.

"_I won't let you have Gaara!_" he snarled. "_I'll take him back!_"

"_Naruto!_" Ami yelled, "_Calm the fuck down!_"

"You're weird, for a Jinchuuriki." the cloaked man sneered, "I've heard that Jinchuuriki are gloomy and hate people."

Naruto gritted his teeth.

"My teammates have defeated two other Jinchuuriki, not including him." the blond continued, "It seems that neither their friends nor villages tried to save them. In fact, it seemed like there were people who were happy to have them gone."

Naruto clambered out from the stone.

Deidara kept going. "A kindred spirit who was hated and despised, you just couldn't ignore him, huh? Gaara… Gaara died when we removed the Ichibi. …That's going to happen to you soon. _You hear me?_"

Naruto was becoming more and more agitated by the second. "_I WON'T FORGIVE YOU BASTARDS!_"

The Konoha-Nin leapt back down onto the water in the valley, glaring up at the man on the clay bird.

Sounds from inside the cave clearly indicated the continuation of Chiyo and Sakura's fight.

"_Give Gaara back you bastard!_"

The deceased Kazekages's foot was pulled into the earthen creature's mouth, and after a few moments of hovering, Deidara turned and flew away.

"_You bastard!_" Naruto gnarled, chasing the S-rank criminal, "_You're dead! Get back here!_"

Kakashi and Ami's eyes widened.

"Naruto! Wait!" the sensei cried.

"Kakashi-sensei, Ami, you take care of Sakura-chan!" the blond yelled back.

The masked man frowned under the cloth on his face at the entrance to the cave where Chiyo, Sakura and Sasori were fighting.

"We can't afford to leave him." Ami said, darting after the boy, Kakashi nodding in agreement, also catching up.

The sensei touched the band on his neck. "Gai, what's happening on your end?"

Loud grunting and fighting sounds on the other end indicated that there would be no back up for a while.

Ami swore when this information was relayed to her.

"You're not getting away!" Naruto roared.

* * *

The leaf shinobi had spent quite a bit of time pursuing the blond Akatsuki member, who merely kept them back by flinging explosives every now and then, destroying the logs they hopped across in the valley.

Kakashi looked back and furrowed his brow. 'We've gone too far from Sakura and the others. And if we keep going, I won't be able to radio Gai's team. _I have to hurry!_'

Deidara dropped two small, spider-shaped explosives.

Naruto's eyes widened as one exploded on the piece of wood that Ami and Kakashi landed on, then destroying the next log they tried to land on to avoid the blast. Luckily, both the Chuunin and Jounin escaped unscathed, flying out from the cloud of smoke caused by the bombs' detonations.

"He's trying to separate us from Naruto." Ami growled, "He wants to fight him alone, so he has a better chance of winning…"

* * *

A loud smash sounded in the distance, and Kakashi looked back worriedly.

It sounded like it was coming back where Chiyo and Sakura were fighting.

'I hope it's Sakura making that noise.' Ami thought.

Their radios were now out of range and things were becoming more and more urgent.

Naruto was getting pissed.

Just chasing Deidara wasn't letting them catch up at all.

"_You guys! Move it!_" the boy barked, "_If we take too long, we'll lose track of him!_"

"Not a problem." Kakashi said, "Remember, you're his next target, Naruto. He won't try to escape or shake us off."

The Akatsuki scowled.

"_Then hurry up and think of a way for us to take him down, already!_" Naruto growled.

"Don't worry!" the sensei replied, "I already have a few strategies in mind, but I need some time to prepare before I can use them."

"_I don't want to wait anymore! I want to save Gaara now!_"

Deidara sped up.

Naruto, enraged, followed without hesitation, despite his teammates' warnings.

"The _fucking idiot_ won't listen!" Ami snarled. "Sensei, what do we do?"

Kakashi frowned under his mask. "Sorry Ami. I need you to wait a little longer. I'll be ready soon."

"You need more Chakra and you're waiting for it to replenish?" the girl asked.

"Exactly."

"Why don't I just attack him? I can fight long and close range."

The silver-haired man shook his head. "Don't try. He's too strong and you can't reach far enough. You'll only waste Chakra."

The brunette scowled up at the blond Akatsuki member. She knew her sensei was right, but that didn't mean that she liked it.

Deidara flung several small, white pieces of clay into the air in the shape of some locusts, which landed on each of the logs before Kakashi and Ami.

Kakashi leapt past one, but the white oddity sprang back and almost blew up beside him, had the silver-haired man not dodged just in time before leaping out of the way of two more that landed on him beside a wall.

Ami swore at the sight of the flea-shaped explosive in her face and did something out of pure reflex that in hindsight was also immensely stupid.

She blew a strong gust of wind at the explosive from her mouth and the bomb shot up to beside Deidara, who made a sharp turn to avoid its blast, cursing.

Ami jumped back to an explosive-free branch beside her sensei.

'_I could've lost my face!_' she thought, shocked at her own idiocy.

"These are much smaller than the ones he used before." Kakashi said, "It could be because he wants to keep us from hitting them with shuriken. And there's so many…"

"It's good at jumping, thanks to those legs." Ami noted.

"All right, let's see who's faster." Kakashi said, focusing Chakra at his feet and propelling himself forward, the kunoichi staying back and watching from behind.

The man tried to get past, but some bug-bombs simply scurried down from the top of an overhead log and blew up above him, several more attacking when he jumped away to escape.

The brunette cursed foully. "_Naruto! Wait for us!_"

"You're too slow!" the boy shouted back, "I'm going ahead!"

"Don't try too much by yourself!" the man warned.

"Yeah! I know!"

Then orange dot that was Naruto was getting further and further away.

There was a moment of silence between Kakashi and Ami, broken after several seconds by the girl.

"…Shit." she grit out, unsure of what to say. "Naruto could lose control. What do we do?"

The sensei hopped back.

The bugs followed.

"They'll chase us if we try to retreat." the man grumbled, leaning towards his student and whispering in her ear. "_Ami, here's what we'll do._"

* * *

The pair had finally escaped Deidara's bugs, using Kage Bunshin disguised as Kakashi and Ami as distractions while the real pair of them escaped, and caught up to Naruto.

The blond was taunting Naruto, clearly pleased that it was finally just the two of them, and the boy leapt for him, Kakashi appearing just in time to grab the blond Jinchuuriki by his shoulder.

"_What?_" Deidara sighed, exasperated, "I thought I'd finally killed you."

"Well, I apologize for not letting you blow me to bits." came the sensei's smart-aleck reply.

Deidara took off again.

"_WAIT!_" Naruto roared.

"I'd say the same to you." Kakashi grunted, tightening his grip. "It's okay. We'll definitely get Gaara back. So calm down."

The red-eyed boy gritted his teeth, glaring up at the bird hovering overhead.

"Listen up, Naruto." the sensei continued, "You're not used to fighting against his type. In addition, as someone who specializes in close combat, his long-range style it the worst possible match for you. There are only two ways to fight against someone like him. The first is to draw the enemy into close combat and defeat them there, and the second is to use techniques with an even greater range than his and win from a distance."

"_But how?_"

"Either way, you must have a companion who either specializes in long-range attacks, or has support techniques used for long-range fights. If you don't have either, the battle is lost. Well, that may not be the case for someone as smart as, say, Shikamaru."

"Stop beating around the bush!" the blond boy pleaded, "What about you and Ami, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Ami _could_ try to attack him, but she doesn't have enough skill to do it safely. I'm a Jounin who's about as smart as Shikamaru and has support Ninjutsu suitable for long-range fights."

"Then, we've got what we need-!"

"That's why I told you to calm down."

"_Then, let's go!_"

"It's not that easy. He isn't going to show us any openings if we just chase him. This is the man who snuck into Sunagakure and defeated Gaara by himself. And above all else, he's a member of Akatsuki. So, what can we do? The only option is to work together and force him to leave himself open."

Deidara began to fly away, Naruto's head turning towards him, worried.

"If you get everything I've said, then listen to me. I'll tell you the plan."

* * *

**I feel much better with this one. :D Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading.**


	27. Black Holes, Change and New Arrivals

**I wonder how many people actually read these notes... Oh, well! :D**

**Hello there! :D Please for the love of all that is good and decent let it snow in my town on Tuesday because I seriously do not want to do the Xmas exams. :D**

**THE STRESS OF MATH! DX **

**Anyway, how are you all? Keeping well, I hope? :) I've been snowed in from everything but school (and even that missed about three days) the last week and a half, so, that's been annoying. No Kenpo. :( And my house is freezing! DX**

**On a brighter note, I'm getting a tablet for Xmas, so I'll be able to draw some awesome pictures from Friend for you guys. (If I get any time, that is...) :D There's so many things I want to do... :) Like more pictures with Ami, Sasuke with Baby, a few sketches of Keijousai, some of my earlier (and perhaps future) story ideas, the dance with Akira and Ami, and tons of other things. :D**

**Well, enough of my blithering, I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^_^**

**I do not own Naruto, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Black Holes, Change and New Arrivals

* * *

Ami smirked as they flew after Deidara.

"Got it?"

"Yeah! I got it!" the orange-garbed boy grinned.

"Here I go." the silver-haired man whispered, placing his hands in a seal.

Ami smiled as the blond's eyes regained their usual sky-blue colour and the whiskers on his cheeks became fine lines once more.

* * *

Naruto was silent for a while before looking grumpily at the silver-haired man.

"Kakashi-sensei, aren't you ready yet?" the blond pestered.

"I told you to calm down. I don't have as much Chakra as you. This takes time." came the grumbled reply.

* * *

Several more minutes passed.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei! Are you ready yet?"

"Just about." the masked man replied, lowering his fingers to reveal a strange kind of Sharingan they had never seen before, where each little black comma's tail joined with the dot before it and the pupil, forming a strange wheel-like shape in the iris.

Ami memory was jogged at the sight of it and blue orbs widened in shock.

She'd read about it when looking up info on Itachi.

That was the Mangekyo Sharingan, and the process of going about getting it wasn't pleasant.

A chill ran down her spine.

She had always known her sensei was sure to have killed before, after all, how could he not have? But to get that eye…

"That's what you were telling me about?" Naruto asked.

"Right. My new Sharingan!" the silver-haired man said. "Let's go, Naruto, Ami!"

"Roger."

They shot after him.

The masked man caught the blond staring at him.

"What is it?" the Jounin asked.

"Kakashi-sensei, don't worry if this doesn't work. _I'll make sure to finish him._"

"Sure." the silver-haired man nodded, "If it comes to that."

Kakashi closed his right eye with only the Mangekyo showing. "Naruto, Ami, time to back off a bit."

Ami nodded and dropped back slightly, as did Naruto.

The sensei focused utterly on the pony-tailed blond up in the air, scarlet iris practically burning a hole in the man. "_Mangekyo Sharingan._"

The two young shinobi gazed up in amazement as reality itself became distorted like images in water, bending and rippling, before getting sucked into a vacuum like a tiny black hole up where Deidara was flying.

Naruto began climbing up the side of the valley, as did Ami.

'The technique is incredible…' the brunette thought as she watched in awe as Deidara's body twisted and contorted, 'It's no wonder it comes at a price… _blindness…_'

Deidara was moving quite a bit, clearly trying to escape, and Kakashi was finding it hard to keep up the technique. Though he didn't succeed in sucking the pony-tailed man into another dimension, he did manage to rip their enemies' arm in two.

''e's 'armless!', rang through Ami's mind, and she cringed at the terrible pun she had unwillingly thought of.

Kakashi clapped a hand over his eye, grunting in pain. 'I missed… I still can't aim the dimensional barrier accurately.' he thought, annoyed, glaring up at the mutilated blond. He uncovered the scarlet eye again. 'I'll get it next time!'

The void reappeared.

Pursuing the Akatsuki member, now into a forest, Kakashi continuously tried to decapitate the blond with the Doujutsu, Ami and Naruto following behind.

Deidara vanished from Kakashi's sight, and the masked man swore.

"He got away."

* * *

Deidara sighed in relief on the other side of the trees. "Made it."

Naruto attacked with a Rasengan, as Ami swung at the man with a rope of aqua and the bomb-lover leapt from the bird to escape. The Jinchuuriki sliced off the clay bird's head with the spiraling ball of Chakra in his palm, then made a hand seal and two Kage Bunshin, who caught the large, white head.

Kakashi sat panting on a nearby branch and Ami leapt down beside him, as did one of Naruto's clones.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright?"

"I've been better." came the puffed reply.

The trio looked over at the branch opposite them to see the boy and his clones rip away at the white clay head to get to the boy inside, desperately crying the redheaded boy's name over and over.

They broke through.

"_Gaara!_"

No response.

"_Hey! Gaara!_"

Still no reply.

The original Naruto reached in and shook the boy slightly. "_Gaara!_"

Still nothing.

The blond wailed.

"I already told you he was dead." the Akatsuki called.

Ami and Kakashi bowed their heads, then Ami flinched as Naruto snarled, eyes scarlet.

"_I'll kick the shit out of you._'

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." the man smirked, "I'll fight with you soon."

"You're letting your guard down." Kakashi said quietly.

Deidara went flying when Naruto slammed a fist into his face from behind, leaping down on the man with four clones and slamming his legs and shoulders to the ground and leaping down onto his stomach, face wild, punching the Akatsuki repeatedly in the face until blood appeared on his own knuckles, before slamming a Rasengan straight into the man's chest, and only then realizing that it was a Clay Bunshin.

The four of Naruto's Kage Bunshin around him disappeared in pops of smoke.

Ami was silent as she listened for any signs of the vanished Akatsuki, and carefully looked around, but snapped her head around so fast her neck cracked when she saw red Chakra bubbling out of Naruto from the corner of her eye, cloaking his body, gathering on his rear to form a tail and on his head to form ears of red, simmering, energy.

She shuddered.

The feel of this Chakra was undoubtedly familiar.

Far greater than killing intent, which she had long become accustomed to, it seemed as though it reached inside you and clutched your heart in a fist, literally holding your life in its palm.

With a jolt, she realized where she had felt it before.

Back in the mist, when they had been Genin and they thought Sasuke had died.

She leant down to whisper nervously in her sensei's ear. "Is that the Kyuubi's Chakra?"

"Yes."

"…He's incredibly dangerous right now, isn't he?"

"…Jiraiya-sama warned me about this. The Demon Fox's cloak."

Naruto punched the ground in rage where the clay Deidara's face had rested before it had turned to white earthenware, and a huge dust cloud flew up.

Ami cursed, face pale.

She was scared both of and for her friend right now.

A second tail began to appear, and the Kage Bunshin beside her and Kakashi began clutching his head, grunting in discomfort, as did the two beside Gaara's corpse.

"It burns…" the one beside them gritted out painfully.

Ami bit her lip as she looked from the clones to the original, who's second tail had now almost sprouting.

"_Sensei, what do we do?_" Ami asked frantically.

The man was silent, still observing the whiskered boy.

"_Sensei!_"

Naruto leapt at a tree and threw a devastating punch that's effects carried for easily over five-hundred metres.

The Kage Bunshin around Naruto burst, and Kakashi swore.

"Already?" He darted after the boy, Ami following right behind, and stopped a few metres away from the berserking Jinchuuriki. "Calm down, Naruto!"

The boy turned and glared at the man, before flying at him with frightening speed, shattering the rock the masked man stood on.

Kakashi jumped back onto a tree branch and Ami moved to the side, trying to get out of the way, but suffered a blow from one of the boy's tails on her arm, her skin burning where the vicious Chakra had come into contact.

Cursing, she fled up into a tree, clutching her arm in pain, though her own potent Chakra seemed to be fighting back against the Kyuubi's energy slightly.

Kakashi leapt up from behind the boy and smacked a small paper seal to his forehead. The red Chakra dissipated immediately and the sensei caught the weakened boy as he fell and jumped down onto the grass.

Naruto knelt, panting as Kakashi removed the seal, and Ami stepped over, clutching her arm.

"Have you calmed down, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura and Chiyo appeared, the pink-haired girl supporting the elder, both looking rather worn out.

"We finally caught up." Sakura smiled, panting.

"Good job finding us." Kakashi complimented.

"_Ami!_" the Chuunin cried, looking over at her friend. "_What happened to your arm?_"

The brunette chuckled slightly, hoping that Naruto hadn't given himself away by looking at her, horrified at his own actions, and shrugged. "I injured it, I guess."

"We felt a tremor a few minutes ago."

"That was me." Ami said guiltily. "Big, noisy wind technique. I got a little crazy."

Sakura looked surprised, "Really? That's not like you, Ami."

The brunette shrugged. "I know… I got excited, I guess."

"You guys… you got him, huh?" Naruto panted, looking away from Ami towards Sakura and Chiyo after a small smile from the water-user.

"Yeah."

"It looks like you two are still having some trouble here." Chiyo said, looking around at the destruction.

"Unfortunately." Kakashi said, bowing his head.

"What happened to Gaara?" she asked quietly.

Naruto looked down at the ground.

Ami and Kakashi were silent.

"…All right." the old woman said quietly, understanding.

Clangs of metal could be heard in the distance.

"Team Gai." Kakashi whispered.

Deidara ran to the decapitated body of the bird he had used earlier, and Team Kakashi and Chiyo could now see him across the clearing.

"Watch out! He's a long-range fighter who uses explosives!" the masked sensei warned.

The self-proclaimed artist took a bite of clay from the white bird, chewed, and swallowed it. "I'll show you my ultimate creation."

"_Everyone! Get away!_" Neji yelled, fleeing with the rest of the teams as Deidara's body swelled and bulged.

A massive fireball erupted from the man's body as he burst, swallowing up everything in it's path.

In an instant, everyone realized the same thing.

They weren't going to make it.

* * *

Ami laid on the ground, eyes closed.

'Am I dead?'

She moved her left arm slightly and winced in pain.

'Nope. Still here.'

She sat up and looked around behind herself.

It was the black hole again.

She beamed. 'Kakashi-sensei!'

The man collapsed to the ground and was caught, panting by Naruto.

"Are you alright, Kakashi-sensei?" the blond asked.

"What did you do?" Sakura asked.

"…I blew the explosion into another dimension." the silver-haired Jounin wheezed.

"I don't really get what happened, but it means we defeated the enemy, right, Tenten?" Lee asked.

"_Hey, don't ask me!_"

"More importantly, is everyone alright?" the masked shinobi asked.

Two of Naruto's clones jumped down from the trees with Gaara's body.

* * *

The groups had now moved away from the rubble and destruction, away from the scene of the battle, and out into a wide green field, where they laid the Kazekage out on the ground.

"How is he?" Naruto asked.

Neji, who was examining the boy with Byakugan activated, shook his head.

Ami walked over, knelt down, and placed her hand against the redhead's forehead, willing for something, _anything_ to happen to Gaara's body.

A breath.

A twitch.

Anything.

There was silence for several seconds as she knelt there, not even breathing to make absolute sure that she heard everything..

"Naruto…" she said quietly, "There's nothing. No liquid is moving inside Gaara's body. His heart's not moving. His lungs aren't moving. His blood's not flowing." She sat up and looked down at the redheaded boy sadly, small tears in her eyes. "He's dead, Naruto."

The blond shook his head in disbelief. "_Sakura-chan! You check!_"

The pink-haired girl also went over and laid her hands on the boy's chest for almost a minute.

"_How is he?_" Naruto asked.

Sakura shook her head miserably, standing up and walking back towards the others, Ami following, head low.

Naruto's body trembled and tears streamed down his cheeks.

"_Why? Why did Gaara have to die like this?_" he sobbed, walking towards the corpse of his friend, "_You're the Kazekage, damn it! You just became the Kazekage!_"

"Calm yourself, Uzumaki Naruto." Chiyo said quietly.

"_SHUT UP!_" the blond bellowed, spinning round, tears flying from his face.

Chiyo's eyes widened.

"_It's your fault! If you fucking sand shinobi hadn't put that fucking monster in him, this never would have happened! Do you have any idea what kind of burden he carried? Fuck the Jinchuuriki… You have no right to act like you're better, to label us and use us…!_" He buried his face in his sleeve, nose running and cheeks dripping, trembling in rage and sorrow. "I couldn't save Sasuke… I couldn't save Gaara… I trained so hard for three years… and nothing's changed…"

The old woman was silent for several seconds before staggering past the blond and kneeling beside Gaara, a strange kind of determination burning in her eyes, and Naruto looked up, shocked at what he was seeing.

The elder placed her hands on Gaara's chest and began pumping blue Chakra into the boy.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Chiyo-baasama! That jutsu will-!"

Naruto eagerly looked at her for an explanation, but the pink-haired kunoichi fell silent as the retired sand shinobi simply smiled at her.

"Chiyo baasama…"

"What's she trying to do…?" Naruto asked, confused, "_Hey!_ What are you doing?" he demanded, but Sakura silenced him.

"She's bringing Gaara-kun back to life."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, as did Ami's.

"Bringing him back to life…?" the blond murmured in incredulity, "Can she really do that?"

"This is a unique technique that only Chiyo-baasama knows." the pink-haired girl said.

"Really?" Naruto beamed.

Ami poked the girl gently in the side before whispering in her ear.

"This is amazing. Why do you look so sad?"

The rosette simply looked at her, and with a sudden sensation of being dipped in icy water, it hit Ami.

A technique couldn't possibly be that convenient.

* * *

The grey-haired old woman was getting weaker.

The blue glow around her hands was fading and the old woman's panting was becoming heavier and heavier.

She swore. "I don't have enough Chakra…"

In an instant, Naruto was at her side, holding out his hands to her.

Chiyo's eyes widened in shock, looking up at the boy.

"_Please, use my Chakra!_" the blond begged, "_You can do it then, can't you, Granny?_"

There were several seconds of silence.

"…Place your hands on top of mine." the old woman wheezed, and the blue glow instantly intensified as the boy eagerly obeyed, refusing to remove his hands despite the obvious pain he was in.

Chiyo smiled weakly. "I'm glad someone like you has appeared in the shinobi world we foolish old people created. Everything I've ever done was a mistake."

The blond looked up at her curiously.

"But now, at the end, it looks like I'll finally be able to do the right thing. Suna and Konoha… their futures will be much different from what it was like back in my day. That strange power of yours that Kakashi mentioned… That power will have a strong influence on the future. Become a Hokage like none before you. And Sakura…"

The girl lifted her head with a quiet; "Yes?"

"Next time, save the people who are important to you, not some old hag. You and I are very similar. There aren't many girls as chivalrous as you around. You'll surpass your teacher as a kunoichi."

Tears were flowing silently down the Medic-Nin's face as she looked at the old woman's back.

"And Naruto, this is a request from an old woman. You are the only one who can understand Gaara's pain. And Gaara understands your pain. Please, save him."

Ami's eyes widened at the feel of a heartbeat in the Kazekage's chest.

The old woman's chest stopped.

* * *

Sakura was holding the collapsed Chiyo in her arms as Naruto constantly tried to get some sort of response from Gaara, poking him, shouting, and generally trying to get through to the boy, yanking him up and shaking him slightly.

Gaara's black-rimmed eyes flickered open and the redheaded man lethargically lifted his head to stare at the blond, before gazing around himself, turquoise eyes wide with shock.

"Everyone ran here to save you." Naruto grinned.

A huge number of Sunagakure shinobi surrounded them.

A young girl with short brown hair ran up to the redheaded man. "Gaara-sama! Are you okay?"

The revived boy nodded dumbly.

At the green-eyed boy's action, a massive explosion of applause, shinobi cheering, people hugging, and grown men wailing in relief ensued.

"You caused a big fuss." Naruto grinned.

"I'll say." Kankuro agreed, stepping forward out of the crowd, black hat missing, messy brown hair revealed. "You had me worried, little brother."

"Who do you two think you are?" Temari demanded, kneeling down beside the man, "Gaara is the Kazekage! Show some respect, you _lowlifes_." With that said, she proceeded to push Naruto out of the way. "Gaara, how do you feel?"

The boy tried to get up, but found it difficult to move.

"You shouldn't try to move yet." the spiky-haired woman advised, "Your body is still very stiff."

A pair of kunoichi (who were undoubtedly fangirls) proceeded to squeal praise for the Kazekage and basically lick Gaara's arse before running over to the man, shoving Naruto to the side with a rough; '_Move it grunt!_'

Ami almost kicked the pair of women out of reflex, and felt a pang of yearning for the return of Team Seven's Uchiha, the squealing women stirring up the memories of younger days within of her. She missed him, and however strange of a reminder it was, every time she heard a girl shriek with excitement, she thought of her old teammate.

"You should thank the old woman over there, not me." she heard Naruto say to Kankuro, and looked around to see the boy smiling at the gray-haired woman in Sakura's arms, "She's passed out now, but she'll be fine when we get back to the villa-"

"No, you're wrong." the painted man said sadly.

Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm wrong? About what?"

The fangirls fell silent as they noticed the feeling in the air.

'_About time, you stupid bitches._' Ami couldn't help but scorn.

"It wasn't Medical Ninjutsu." the brunette man explained, "It was a life-transferring technique. Chiyo-baasama is dead."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

Ami directed hers towards the ground.

"It's a Ninjutsu that allows you to bring back the dead, in exchange for your own life." Kankuro explained, "Many years ago, the puppet brigades were conducting research on how to bring their puppets to life. Chiyo-baasama was in charge of it. They were able to figure out the theory behind it, but… in the midst of their research, they decided it was too risky. They made it illegal to conduct the research on humans and forbade anyone to use the technique."

Naruto slowly got to his feet and stared at the body in Sakura's arms.

"Her face is so peaceful that I keep thinking she's going to burst out laughing." Ebizou said, recalling the many times that his sister had tricked him, playing dead.

Sakura clutched the old woman tighter, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Ami couldn't help but listen in as Temari explained to Naruto that he had the ability to change people, and that before this, Chiyo had never cared about Sunagakure, and never would have felt willing to give her life for Gaara.

"Chiyo-baasama has placed the future in yours and Gaara's hands." Kakashi said, "A splendid end, befitting a true shinobi."

"…Just like the Third." Naruto commented.

"That's right." the sensei agreed.

"I really understand how she felt now."

Gaara staggered to his feet, despite the protests of his fangirls, and was caught under the arm by the whiskered boy as he stumbled.

The pair made their way silently over to Chiyo.

"Everyone, pray for Chiyo-baasama." Gaara said, closing his eyes and bowing his head, the others following suit.

There was silence in the clearing.

* * *

The cheers and applause from the villagers of Sunagakure had been thunderous upon witnessing the grand sight of their Kazekage returning in the company of both Konoha and Suna shinobi, all walking towards the entrance with their heads high as their hearts swelled with pride, the fantastic silhouettes against the morning sun.

Naruto and Kankuro supported the man, who stared around in shock at the village's joy to see him, people rushing forward to greet him with a fantastic homecoming he had been speechless to realize they believed he deserved.

People gathered around the man, beaming ecstatically, Baki stepping forward to thank the ninja, especially Naruto, though the blond denied having done much, before the villagers split into two rows on either side of the sand's entrance, waiting for the Kazekage.

"Let's go, then." Kankuro smirked, but Gaara spoke up.

"Wait."

He looked back at Chiyo, who laid, wrapped in a black body bag, on a stretcher being carried by four sand shinobi, Sakura and Ebizou on either side.

"...Put her first."

* * *

Ami ran a few fingers over the injury on her arm and winced at the twinge of pain she received in response.

Her Chakra's potency did seem to be fighting back against the worst of the damage that the Kyuubi Chakra alone would do, so thankfully it was only a little bit worse than the usual injury would have been.

Nonetheless, it had been a hard hit, and the area was now turning rather unpleasant shades of black and purple.

Having sleeves saved the girl from Naruto constantly looking at her with guilt in his face, but Ami still had to resist punching the boy for being so obvious every time he frowned at her shoulder in front of the others.

She'd said it was fine about thirty times already.

* * *

Having paid their last respects to Chiyo at her freshly-made grave, and Naruto and Gaara sharing an slightly goofy yet warm-hearted goodbye, the Konoha-Nin left for their own village, on their way suffering the revolting image of Gai laughing hysterically whilst giving Kakashi a piggyback from behind, the silver-haired man unable to put up a proper resistance in his current weakened state, flopping about like a dead fish, Gai's green spandex hitching even higher than usual, his running really not helping.

Lee, being the disciple to Gai that he always was, wanted to try it with Neji, who responded with a clearly disgusted decline.

The group made it back to the village with Gai and Lee racing ahead with Kakashi and the teams' luggage, the others staring at them, at this stage rather used to the borderline insanity of the green-garbed pair.

Ami both pitied and admired Neji and Tenten for putting up with their teammates.

Kakashi was carted off to the hospital, and Ami, out of curiosity, had followed Sakura outside, where she accidentally ended up listening in on the girl's conversation with Tsunade and Shizune, before the blonde Hokage invited her to join them, telling a worried Sakura that the brunette was trustworthy and level-headed enough to handle whatever news she had.

What the pink-haired girl told them up on the roof of the Hokage building both shocked and intrigued her greatly.

After defeating Sasori, the puppet master had told her something very interesting as he was dying; to go to the Heaven and Earth Bridge in the Country of Grass in ten days to meet a spy he had working under Orochimaru. Since four days had passed since then, it was now a countdown of six days. Naruto had also overhead them, and after announcing his presence, instantly shot off in a search for the new team members Tsunade had said Team Kakashi would need for the assignment, with Kakashi being out of commission for the next week and their numbers having already been lowered after Sasuke leaving.

Tsunade smiled in amusement. They hadn't even been finished talking.

Shizune was adamantly against sending Naruto, worried about him being a Jinchuuriki and going out on missions while Akatsuki were looking for him, but Tsunade stood by her decision. What's more, she had already arranged who was coming to fill in the gaps.

Sakura and Ami agreed to let Naruto know.

* * *

The girls were waiting at the meeting place for their new team members.

Naruto hastily ran over, calling their names.

"Sakura-chan! Ami! This is the right place isn't it?"

"Definitely." Sakura said, smiling at the boy.

Ami was frowning at the ground beside her. She wasn't thrilled about the idea of new team members being added to Team Seven.

"But no one's here yet. Geez, did Tsunade-baachan really arrange new members for our team?"

"It'll be okay." the pink-haired girl smiled, "We just got here a little bit early. There's still some time left before we're supposed to meet up."

"Well, I hope they're not late all the time, like Kakashi-sensei."

Ami's head snapped up at the feel of two bodies of water appearing behind them.

"Who's there?" she asked, whipping round, "Come out, both of you."

Light footsteps sounded as the people obeyed.

Naruto scowled at the sight of the first person, jabbing a finger with an angry; '_You!_ You're the one who was on the roof earlier!'

The second, a brown-haired man with dark eyes, a kind of facial armour that framed his face and the typical Jounin uniform spoke up trying to break the ice, "I'll be acting as Kakashi-San's replacement for this team-"

Naruto wasn't listening, shaking with rage as he glared, fist clenched at the pale boy before him.

"Naruto, you know him?" Sakura asked.

"He attacked me when I was with Shikamaru's team a little while ago!"

The blond flicked his wrist and a kunai came sliding out, as the pale boy grabbed the sword strapped to his back.

"Cut it out, Naruto-kun." the second stranger said, and the blond lowered his weapon, looking curiously at the man. "Come to think of it, who are you?"

"I am acting as the team's interim captain while Kakashi-san is in the hospital. Please call me Yamato."

"Captain Yamato?" Sakura checked, her words being confirmed with a nod of the man's head.

"Since you guys are on the same team, it will cause a lot of problems if you don't get along." the armoured man said.

Team Kakashi's true members' eyes widened.

"_The same team as him!_" Naruto cried, horrified as he glared at the boy.

For the first time, Ami took a decent look at the younger new addition to the team, and was shocked at the initial resemblance she thought he bore to Sasuke, but the more she looked, the more she realised that he wasn't like the Uchiha at all.

The replacement had a horribly obvious fake smile on his face.

Ami's frown became even more pronounced. Sasuke would never make an expression like that.

He would smile for real when he was happy only. That was part of what she had liked about the boy. Smug smirks and sneers, sure, he often wore those, but being able to make him smile truly had been something she had loved doing. He was a quiet person who wasn't great with words or expressing his feelings, and it let her know that he enjoyed being with her.

That he was happy.

She continued taking in the boy's appearance. His hair was dark like Sasuke's, but rather than being long and spiked up, it was flat and stuck to his scalp. His eyes were also similar in colour, but while Sasuke's had had at least a bit of emotion in them most of the time, his were like looking into a dead man's. They were empty and expressionless, like looking at a plain sheet of black charcoal. There was nothing in them, and to be honest, it was creepy. His skin was practically white, again, similar to Sasuke's, but while Sasuke has been snowy, this person looked deathly pale, helping along the dead man look reflected in his empty eyes.

His clothes were… strange, to say the least. A black long-sleeve top with the material over his waist and left sleeve cut off, and low-riding black three-quarter lengths and sandals.

She looked up again and noted the Konoha forehead protector perched on his brow, before her eyes fell once again on the revolting fake smile.

"I'm sorry about before." the boy said, smirk still in place, "Since we're on the same team, I wanted to see how strong you were."

Naruto allowed the blade in his fist to slide back inside his sleeve. "You didn't have to go that far…"

"Thanks to our encounter, I learned that you're a useless, dickless little pantywaist."

As Naruto screamed in rage, being held back by Sakura, Ami frowned at the boy.

"That was unnecessary." she said, glaring.

The black-garbed shinobi simply stared at her with his creepy black eyes, her own blue orbs burning back into him.

"Konno Ami." she said quietly.

"I am Sai." the boy fake-smiled.

"Take off that fake smile." Sakura grunted, "It's ugly."

The boy turned to her, smirk still in place, and said; "Not as ugly as you."

"_Don't you dare insult Sakura-chan!_" Naruto yelled angrily.

"_I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!_" the pink-haired girl snarled.

Ami stepped between the pink-haired girl and Sai, facing the raven with a stern look on her face.

"_Look._ You are Uchiha Sasuke's _temporary_ replacement. You won't have to put up with us after we get him back, but we're far more likely to do that a lot faster of you stop causing trouble like this. You don't have to like us, just work with us. We have nothing against you."

The boy stared at her with his blank eyes a moment, then said; "You were Uchiha Sasuke's old girlfriend, aren't you?"

Ami didn't reply, though she visibly tensed.

"He mustn't have liked you that much if he left anyway." Sai continued with a leer, "Don't worry though, you can whore yourself out to me anytime. You're not that great looking, but you're better than Ugly over there," He nodded towards Sakura, "though you do seem to have no tits whatsoever. They're even smaller than Ugly's." He nodded towards Naruto, who exploded with rage, yanking a kunai out of his sleeve.

"_WHAT WAS THAT, YOU ASSHOLE!_"

"_Naruto!_" Ami barked. "…Drop it."

"_But he-!_"

"_I said drop it._"

The boy fell silent.

Yamato scratched his head awkwardly, "Well… we're going to be having our mission soon… and… well, we're not going to have many chances to get to know each other. So, introduce yourselves!"

The pinkette, blond and brunette all glared at the raven as he fake smiled.

"Haruno Sakura…"

"Uzumaki Naruto…"

"…Konno Ami."

"I am Sai."

"Okay, that's enough introduction for now." the captain said, "Now, I'll explain our mission. Our objective is to head to the Heaven and Earth Bridge in order to catch the spy working under Orochimaru. This is also a rare chance to obtain information on Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke."

Ami's fists tightened.

"We'll have a valuable source of information for planning Orochimaru's assassination and Sasuke's retrieval if we can capture this spy. Be sure to proceed with caution."

Naruto nodded with a grunt.

"Yes sir!" Sakura said firmly.

"Understood." Ami growled.

"Assemble at the main gate in an hour." Yamato ordered, "We'll depart once you've equipped yourselves."

* * *

As Sakura, Naruto and Ami all headed away from the meeting place, Naruto was complaining about the new addition.

"Man, that Sai guy is such an asshole…" the blond grumbled, "Why does he have to be Sasuke's replacement…? Team Kakashi was fine with just the four of us."

Sakura's lips curled into a small smile. "Yeah, he talks trash, but don't you think he kind of looks like Sasuke-kun? Like his face, or his voice?"

"_Not one bit!_" Naruto sneered. "Sasuke's way cooler than- uh… not cooler, but _better!_"

Sakura smiled. "That's true, Sasuke-kun's a little bit cooler than Sai, isn't he? Right, Ami?"

The brunette turned on the pink-haired girl, teeth bared, seething.

"_Do you seriously think that Sai is anything like Sasuke?_"

Sakura recoiled slightly. "Umm… well, kinda-"

"_No. He's not. At all! I hate the smiley fucker, and if he comes anywhere near me, I'll rupture his dick inside his stupid, gay-ass trousers! There's no fucking comparison between Sasuke and that grinning bastard! Saying that they're alike is like saying a rock and a fossilized dog turd are alike! It's BULLSHIT!_"

Sakura took a step back away from the tanned girl.

"_I'm going home._" Ami snarled, turning on her heel and stomping away from the pair.

* * *

Storming past Aiko, the brunette made her way up the stairs to her room and slid the door shut beside her, before grabbing a pillow and burying her face into it, screeching in frustration.

Once the air in her lungs ran out, she dropped the pillow to the ground with a soft 'flumph' and sat down on the ground, gripping her head in her hands.

She counted to ten, and swallowed her anger.

'I hate Sai.' she thought, staring at the wall, 'That's clear. If he gets that, he should back off, and this will be easier. If not, I'll make him get it and back off. If this mission succeeds, we'll be closer to getting Sasuke back. You need to calm down Ami. If you let him ruin this mission, you're no better than the idiot for getting worked up by the idiot... _Honestly _though,_ what the fuck _does Tsunade-sama hope to achieve by sticking us with this _perverted clown?_ What kind of freak starts talking about someone's _dick_ within the first thirty seconds of meeting them? Sasuke was an asshole, but at least he wasn't a _creep. _'

The girl reached inside her top and pulled out the black necklace from inside, staring at it blankly.

'...I want my friend back...'

* * *

**Hope you liked! Please tell me what you thought. :D**

**Also... there's something I feel I can't leave this chapter without saying;**

**_PENIS!_ **

**...Okay, I'm done. :D**

**Please review! :D**


	28. Glares, Drawings and Traitors

**Wow! Another ten days and it will have been a year since I first started this fanfiction! :D Thank you all so much for the support you've given me so far through the story! I really appreciate it so much! My exams are over (went alright), but I don't know if I'll get another chapter up before Xmas and New Years, so just in case, I wish you all good times, whatever your beliefs or how you celebrate (if you do) this time of year! :D**

**Hope you enjoy! ^_^**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Glares, Drawings and Traitors

* * *

Ami frowned at Sai as Naruto rebuked them while they made their way towards their destination.

The pale boy's attitude hadn't improved in the slightest.

Although, she could understand that it was always uncomfortable to be stared at, which Sakura and the blond had been doing to him all through the trip so far. She meanwhile, simply refused to speak to, or even look at him.

* * *

"_That settles it! You're no good!_" Naruto cried.

Everyone on Team Kakashi froze. Yamato turned to look at Naruto.

"_You're the biggest asshole I've ever met._" the Jinchuuriki growled.

Sai stared at the blond silently.

Yamato had chided the blond for his attitude towards Sai, but to be quite frank, the whiskered boy couldn't have cared less, and was quite blunt about expressing that fact.

"Hey, hey. You can't just ignore the team's well-being and say that, Naruto. Trust and teamwork are the most important parts of a team. Kakashi-san must have taught you that. You are the members of Kakashi-san's team, so what's up with that?"

Naruto snarled. "This guy _is not_ a member of Team Kakashi! The last member of Team Kakashi is _Sasuke! _He's just a replacement to fill in while Sasuke's not here! _I won't accept him as a member!_"

"Good." Sai piped up, "That puts me at ease as well. Someone who betrayed Konoha and joined Orochimaru… I don't want to be put in the same group as trash like that."

Naruto clenched his fist and went to fly at Sai, but Sakura thrusted an arm out in front of the blond.

"It's true that teamwork is important." the pink haired girl said, "Sai, Naruto doesn't know you too well, so he may go too far sometimes. Sorry. Please forgive Naruto."

Ami rose her eyebrows. She hadn't expected that from the Medic-Nin.

"Sakura-chan…" the blond mumbled.

Yamato sighed in relief. 'At least the girls aren't too hot-headed…' he thought to himself.

The raven pulled his lips into another one of his disgusting smiles. "It's fine. There's nothing to forgive."

"Is that so? I'm glad!" Sakura said, smiling.

Ami smirked. She knew her friend well.

Sai skidded several metres across the ground on his ass after receiving a hard blow from Sakura's fist right in the jaw.

The pink-haired girl hadn't even put Chakra into the attack.

"_You don't have to forgive me._" Sakura growled, jade eyes narrowed as she glared at the raven.

Sai wiped his mouth. "You got me. With that fake smile."

"You don't know a thing about Sasuke-kun. You have no right to say things like that. If you say anything bad about him again,_ I won't hold back._"

Naruto gulped, even though the pink-haired girl's words weren't even directed at him.

Ami's smirk widened. 'Hopefully Sai will be a bit more docile from now on.'

"I understand. I won't say anything bad in front of you. Still, fake smiles can be used in such a way… I'll remember that."

Naruto snarled. "_You just got punched, what the hell do you think you're saying?_"

"The best way to pass something bad is with a smile." The raven got to his feet. "Even if it is a fake smile. Everyone will get fooled by that. That's what I've read. It looks like it doesn't have much effect when I do it though."

'Probably because you smile like a paedophile.' Ami thought, wrinkling her nose as the boy attempted emotion again.

Naruto went for the raven, and Yamato made several hand signs, bringing up a huge wooden cage behind himself.

"If you three take it much further, it will be troublesome." he said, clearly annoyed, "We have little time to get to the Tenchikyou. Still, we should be able to solve this with a little detour."

Ami stared, fascinated. She had never heard of anyone being able to use the wood element before.

"Now, here's my proposal to you. You either spend a day beating each other up in the cage, or we take a detour to a hot springs town. You don't know me very well, right? I like doing things nicely… _but I don't really mind terror either._"

Ami shuddered at the man's glare.

Certainly, she had gotten used to several kinds of glares in her life; the shut-up-or-I'll-smack-you glare from Sakura, the lazy you're-a-pain-in-the-ass glare from Shikamaru, the I-know-you're-right-but-I-still-don't-like-it-and-I-will-sulk-as-much-as-I-can glare from Naruto, the you're-annoying glare from Sasuke, and the what-do-you-mean-you-won't-colour-in-this-picture-with-me glare from Sora, her teacher, but this glare was different. This was the kind of look you would see on the face of a creepy puppet from a horror film that would sneak into your room at night and murder you with a chainsaw or the like, and as appealing as beating the snot out of Sai would be, hot springs were _very _refreshing.

* * *

Ami sighed, closing her eyes as she submerged herself up to her chin, Sakura beside her.

'I have to try and get along with this guy.' she thought, 'Sure, he's a weirdo, but who in my life isn't? Gai and Lee are overly-energetic lovers of green spandex and orange legwarmers, my teacher is someone more childish than me, my cat opens doors and knows more passages in the inn than I do, my sensei shamelessly reads porn constantly in front of children, so surely there must be room for a half-naked guy who smiles like a creep and likes talking… about… penises… _or maybe that's just too far… _I'm beginning to understand how Neji and Tenten must feel… Gai and Lee might be headstrong oddities, but at least they're nice people. Sai meanwhile… pretty much called me a whore as soon as we met. Also... _he's hiding something_…. I wonder what Sasuke would think if he knew what we replaced him with.'

She got a sudden image in her head of the Uchiha with a look of absolute horror and offense on his face as Sai asked him about his penis with a smile.

Naruto's voice interrupted her thoughts as it carried clearly over from the other side with an angry yell.

"_Stop looking at it! You're always talking about 'penises, penises'! Shut up, damn it!_"

Ami snorted along with the other women who burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Sakura's head vanished under the water as she blushed scarlet, embarrassed for the boy.

"If you do that, it's more obvious you know him." Ami sniggered, wincing when the rosette pinched her in the side.

* * *

The group had ended the evening with a tremendous feast, of which most of them had never seen, and Ami hadn't eaten since before going broke.

And amazingly, Yamato paid for it all.

Poor Kakashi wasn't being missed in the least.

* * *

Ami was currently prostrate in bed, but got up upon Sakura's rising, her only reason for lying-in being that she hadn't wanted to wake the other girl, who thankfully wasn't a terrible roommate with poor sleeping habits. She still remembered, plain as day, sharing a tent with Yamanaka Ino on a mission once, only to discover that the blonde slept with half-open eyes, along with the occasional kick, accompanied by sleep-talking.

Needless to say, she got no sleep when sharing with the Yamanaka.

Sakura opened the window and poked out her head. "It's such nice weather today… huh…? Hey, Ami,"

"Mmm?" the girl replied, brushing her hair.

"Sai's outside."

"…Is he dead?"

"…No."

"…Damn."

The brunette rolled over, wincing when she accidentally put pressure on the mostly-healed, but still painful bruise Naruto had given her earlier in the week when they were trying to save Gaara, and hopped up, trotting over to the window curiously.

The pale boy was standing on the edge of a whitish-gray pier over a stream, looking around himself for several seconds before settling down and beginning to rummage through his bag.

"I don't trust him." Ami said quietly. "Let's go see what he's doing."

"I'm sure it's nothing bad." Sakura said, "You just don't like him."

"That was a nice punch yesterday, by the way."

"Thanks."

The two girls quickly got dressed and headed outside to where Sai was sitting.

* * *

The eyebrows of the kunoichi lifted as they made their way closer to the boy and saw what he was doing.

"So you draw?" Sakura smiled.

Sai turned his head and gave her a disinterested look. "Is there something you want?" he asked tiredly.

"I don't trust you." Ami said, "So I came to see what you were doing. Now that's done, I'm leaving."

Sakura spun the brunette back around as she turned on her heel. "_Ami._ Don't be like that."

"Why not? I don't like Sai and Sai doesn't like me. That or he has a weird way of showing it. There's no reason for me to stay."

"You're teammates who should get to know other." the pink-haired girl said, temple bulging as she smiled brightly, fist tightening at her side, and Ami, picking up on the obvious warning signs, obeyed silently.

Sakura walked over to the boy and leaned down to take a look. "Your mouth is foul but you have a delicate part too, huh?" she smiled, "Unexpected."

Sai returned the facial expression. "That fake smile again. Do you still wish to hit me?"

"Yeah, a little." Sakura said, allowing her face to harden slightly, a slightly dangerous note ringing in her voice. "…Joking!" she giggled, "I just came to see what you were doing. I wondered what it could be."

"You also don't trust me?" the raven questioned, glancing back at Ami, who was staring off in another direction before narrowing her eyes at Sai upon sensing his gaze.

"Ami's just a little bitter." the Medic-Nin smirked, "Don't worry about it. She'll get over it."

"I can _hear_ you. Stop treating me like an _idiotic child_." the brunette growled.

"…I see." Sai said, looking back at his artwork.

"You're out here, I thought it might be the scenery, but… this is abstract."

"What's the title of this picture?"

Glancing at the swirly pattern 'Looking In The Toilet' came to Ami's mind.

Sai was silent.

"You haven't decided yet?"

Sai made another fake smile. "Who knows?"

"What do you mean 'who knows'?" Sakura exclaimed, "The name of this picture, the title of it! You must have something in mind. I won't laugh, so tell me!"

"It's nothing like that." the raven replied, lips still curled in a faux expression. "I've drawn thousands of pictures, but none of them have a title. Neither does this one."

"Usually a picture has a title, doesn't it?" Sakura asked. "A portrait has the title of the person it's of, but other pictures have titles too. Your feelings or emotions…"

The crayon in Sai's hand stopped moving, and Ami's head turned at the loss of movement. "In truth, even if I wanted to, I couldn't give it a title."

Ami stepped forward curiously as the boy continued.

"I don't feel anything. I have no emotions. Nothing."

The water-user bit her lip. 'With his eyes, it's believable.'

Her head snapped round as Naruto appeared behind them.

"Figures." the blond growled, "No wonder you say such insensitive things all the time. We're going soon. Captain Yamato told me to call you." He stalked over and glanced over Sai's shoulder at the picture. "That picture's nothing big." he sneered.

"True." Sai smirked. "Just like your penis."

Ami snorted as Sakura placed a hand over her mouth to hide an embarrassed smirk as Naruto's face turned beet red.

"_I'll say it honestly and blatantly; I hate you!_" the whiskered boy shouted, spit flying from his mouth, jabbing a finger at the boy, "If you have a problem, stop making that fake smile and do something about it! I'll fight you any time you want!"

Sai closed his sketch pad.

"You wanna fight?" the blond demanded.

"'Problem?'" Sai repeated, turning to smile at the boy, "I don't have a 'problem'. I really don't think anything of you."

'Clearly you don't have enough respect for him to not insult him.' Ami thought, frowning.

"Please go ahead. I'll be there right after I've packed." the pale boy said, gathering up his art supplies.

"I'll help." Sakura said, picking up a small picture book. "Huh? This isn't a print… Did you draw this too?"

"Yes." the black-haired boy said, taking the book from Sakura as she handed it to her.

Sakura beamed. "A picture book, huh? Looks interesting!"

Naruto sniffed.

"Can I have a look at that while we're on our way?" Sakura asked.

"I can't allow that. It's not finished. Besides, this never leaves my hands. This is my brother's treasure, after all."

'He just said he drew it, though….' Ami thought, confused. 'What does he mean?'

* * *

As they left the bath house, Yamato turned to the younger members of Team Kakashi. "Everyone, you getting along better now?" he asked, smiling.

Sakura chuckled nervously.

Ami shrugged slightly.

"Why would I be with someone like-" Naruto began to grumble, but stopped at a terrifying glare from Yamato.

"_Maybe I should have gone for terror, huh?_"

Naruto retreated as far away from the man as possible. "_D-Don't worry! We're best buddies now!_" he said, laughing nervously.

"Naruto-kun seems to be having fun." Sai smiled.

"What are you talking about?" Sakura exclaimed in disbelief, "That's definitely a forced smile."

"Is that so?" Sai said, seeming genuinely surprised.

Ami glanced from Sai to Naruto.

The blond had a grimace that would scare small children on his face.

"'The best way to pass something bad is with a smile.' you said so yourself!" the pink-haired girl chided.

Sai turned and attempted a simper. "Oh, I did, didn't I?"

Sakura's face contorted into a grin so forced that if there were any more effort put into it, her face might shatter.

Ami sighed slightly.

Sakura would burst at least one blood vessel before this was over.

* * *

Making their way further towards their destination, the shinobi stopped suddenly as their captain halted.

"What's wrong, Yamato-taichou?" Ami asked, brow knitting.

The man turned and walked into the grass. "This way. Hurry!"

* * *

The others followed obediently, and together got further and further into the forest.

* * *

"Why'd we come all the way out here?" Naruto muttered.

"Yamato-taichou, what's the meaning of this?" the rosette demanded, "The path we were taking was definitely correct! Taichou!"

"Tsunade-sama must have told you." the man replied.

"What's he talking about?" Naruto questioned.

"The Intel Sakura got might be a trap." Yamato explained, "The Akatsuki may be waiting in ambush in Tenchikyou. It's a distinct possibility." He turned to the blond. "Naruto-kun, they're after you."

"It couldn't be…" the boy mumbled.

"I think the probability of that is low, though." Yamato continued, "But still, we best be careful. From here on, we're going to travel in a way as to avoid being spotted."

* * *

"This place should be good." Yamato said, looking around himself in the small clearing as crickets made noise around them, the night almost jet black bar a thin silver crescent and stars. "We'll be sleeping her tonight."

"What?" Naruto exclaimed, "Come on! If we need a place to sleep, there was a nice place just a little bit back where we could-"

"Everyone stand back." the captain said, clasping his hands together before making several hand signs. "Mokuton; Hichuuka no jutsu!"

A massive wooden cabin with two stories burst from the ground before them, displaced earth flying down on the shinobi.

Yamato sat happily on the roof. "We'll be setting camp here tonight!"

Ami gawked as Sakura mumbled beside her; "This is hardly camping…"

* * *

Not only was the building large on the outside, it was massive on the inside, too. Two huge wooden staircases on either side of the first floor led upstairs, and the room for the four younger shinobi was also very spacious and even had a sliding door that lead out to a balcony (though there was a complete lack of furniture).

Sakura set up beside the window, Sai and Naruto on opposite sides of the room, and Ami, feeling slightly sorry for Sai (considering that Naruto had looked at the black-haired newbie like a smelly dog when he went to sit next to the blond) arranged herself in the corner between him and Sakura.

* * *

Yamato lit a piece of wick in some oil as Sakura closed the shutters over the window.

"Everyone, please gather here." he said, "Also Sakura, there's something I'd like to ask."

"What is it?" the girl asked politely.

"About Sasori of Akatsuki… I wanted to ask earlier, but we agreed not to speak of such things yesterday. So tell me everything tonight. You're the only one who saw Sasori, after all."

"Yes." the girl said in understanding.

"I've read the files from Suna, but still, if he has any habits or outstanding personality traits, please tell me everything about them in detail."

"Why are you asking that?" Naruto asked, confused.

"The spy in Orochimaru's ranks is expecting Sasori at Tenchikyou." He held up some pictures of the deceased Akatsuki member (killed by Sakura and Chiyo, of course). "We might be found out right away, but we'd best approach them transformed as Sasori."

"If Sasori doesn't show in Tenchikyou, the spy might not either." Sakura said.

"That seems highly probable." Yamato agreed.

"Then this whole mission would be pointless." Naruto growled.

"Spies have to take great risks, after all." Sai said, "It means he will be extremely careful."

"So, will Yamato-taichou be transforming?" Naruto asked.

"That's the plan." the armoured man said, "Sasori was moving in this puppet, after all. I'm the most suited as a user of wood techniques."

"That's correct." Sakura agreed.

"Also, just in case it's an Akatsuki trap, I'll go in alone first."

"Judging by his way of saying it and the fact that he was near death, I'd say he was sincere." Sakura said, "We know there was a spy named Yuura in Suna."

"Still, we need to be careful, just in case. Until I give the signal, please stand by."

"In any case…" Sai piped up, "that spy must be an extremely resourceful person."

Ami's hands clenched into fists.

"_Let's do it._" said Naruto.

"Well then, let's get down to business." Yamato said, "I'll get into the details of this mission. Since our objective is capture, we must under no circumstances kill the target. Not even if we get into combat. If he dies, important information will be lost. Also, the point of this mission is not to fight, it's recon. It's a delicate mission, so I'll move in first. You four will be back-up. The plan is simple. Step One: I'll attempt to intercept the target. Step Two: In the case that I am unsuccessful and get into combat, you will engage the enemy as well. I will give the signal. In the case that Step Two takes place, we will operate in a buddy system."

"'Buddy System'?" Naruto questioned.

"If one of the pair moves in, the other will be backing him." the man explained. "That's the basic idea. You didn't know?"

"_Oh! _That, that!" Naruto chuckled nervously.

"Pull yourself together." Sakura chastised.

"We'll decide those Buddy teams now." Yamato said. "Team one is Sakura, Ami and myself. Team two is Naruto and Sai."

The boys locked eyes.

"I'm counting on you." Sai smiled to the glaring blond.

"Yamato-taichou! Why? Why am I teamed up with him?" the blond protested, sticking a finger at Sai again, but silencing at another glare from the wood-user.

"_Is something wrong?_" Yamato asked quietly, dangerous stare chilling Naruto to the bone.

"N-nothing…" the boy mumbled.

"Glad to hear it."

"Umm.. Yamato-taichou?" Sakura spoke up quietly.

"What is it?" the man asked pleasantly.

"If we're forming teams, I think Naruto and I would work better together. We've been working together a long time, and we know each other's abilities pretty well."

"I can work with Sai." Ami proposed, "I don't mind. I agree that Naruto should work with you and Sakura, Yamato-taichou."

There was silence a moment.

"Sakura." the captain said after the pause, "You are the only medical ninja on this team. We can't afford to let you get injured, so you're staying with me."

The pink-haired girl lowered her head. "…I understand."

"And the reason Naruto and I can't swap?" Ami probed.

"There's no reason for you to. Naruto and Sai get along fine now. _Don't you boys?_"

"_Y-yes sir…_" Naruto mumbled.

Ami frowned.

"Now," the armoured man continued, "as Sai said before, we have to assume that this enemy is highly skilled. Any slip-ups in teamwork could cost us our lives. I've got plenty to say on that subject, but for now, we'll focus on the mission." He walked to the sliding door to the balcony and looked outside. "We don't know the exact location of Orochimaru's hideout, but that Akatsuki spy should be heading to the bridge around this time."

* * *

Ami scowled at the raven haired boy before her.

* * *

They had just gone through a team simulation of what would happen at the bridge that Yamato had organized for reasons besides practise; to smooth out teamwork and analyze their skills and abilities with his own eyes, but the drill could have gone better. In short, Sai had tied up Naruto with a fake Yamato (who was acting as the spy) using an ink snake imbibed with Chakra (as apparently most of his jutsu included a technique involving ink drawings on scrolls), and run off to find the real one by himself. Sakura had ripped the snake to shreds and Ami pursued Sai, whom she quickly found tying up Yamato with an ink rope. Naruto had demanded the pale boy's reasoning, and Sai had told the blond that his hot-headed actions had slowed down the mission a lot, and that he simply did what was most efficient.

* * *

"_I'll never accept you!_" Naruto barked, stomping away, "_Not as a friend, a comrade, or a member of Team Kakashi!_"

"I wonder what Sasuke-kun would have done." the pale boy leered, "Would he have protected you whilst fighting? After all, you consider him a member of Team Kakashi and a friend."

Ami bit her lip. Naruto wouldn't hold back forever.

"That is, assuming you can still call someone who betrayed his village and seriously hurt you 'a friend'."

There was silence.

Naruto started to quiver and Yamato was just about to confine the Jinchuuriki, when he spoke.

"I'd do anything for my friends." the boy said in a low voice, turning back to the foul-mouthed artist. "Even team up with you."

"Why does he care about Sasuke-kun so much?" Sai asked, perplexed, as he watched Naruto walk away and lean against a tree.

"Sasuke-kun's sort of like a brother to Naruto." Sakura explained.

Ami nodded. "That's a good way of putting it. You understand that kind of relationship, don't you Sai? Considering that you yourself have a brother?"

"Actually, no. Not at all." the raven said.

The girls frowned.

"Remember when we talked about giving titles to my drawings? I don't have feelings."

"…What do you mean you don't have emotions or feelings?" Sakura inquired.

"It means exactly what it sounds like." the boy replied.

"But you can at least imagine what it would be like if your brother suddenly disappeared, can't you?" the pink-haired girl demanded.

"I suppose so, yes. My brother's already dead."

Ami shivered.

Sai hadn't sounded sad when he told them that unfortunate fact.

Nor had he sounded happy, or even angry.

He simply said it.

No more and no less.

"Then how can you-?"

"Maybe I should've tried to look like that?" Sai wondered aloud, looking at the despondent Naruto before them.

"What are you trying to say?" Sakura asked.

"Well, when my brother died, I wasn't sure what kind of expression I was supposed to make."

"Supposed to _make?_" Sakura mumbled, before her face contorted to rage and disgust, Ami looking down at her feet beside her.

'I was accepting of death at twelve years of age.' the brunette thought, 'But this guy is just plain_ sick._'

"Let's end the conversation here." Yamato interjected, "We need to get moving."

The raven boy turned and walked past the girls to pick up his bag.

"Sai, to be honest, I want to beat the hell out of you now." Sakura said quietly, "I warned you that I wouldn't hold back if you insulted Sasuke-kun again. The only reason I didn't do anything, was because Naruto said he'd work with you, despite the way you keep insulting Sasuke-kun. So, if you'll help save Sasuke-kun, then I can't hurt you, regardless of what type of person you are."

"Sakura-san, towards Naruto-kun…"

The pink-haired girl looked at the raven.

"Yes, you're nice to him. I've read about that emotion before. But I have no idea what would make someone feel it."

"Guys, let's get moving." Naruto called, "This'll all be pointless if we don't make it there by noon tomorrow."

* * *

Ami felt a drop of sweat slide down her cheek as she hid behind a moss-covered rock with her teammates while Yamato made his way towards the dark-cloaked man waiting on the bridge, hood up to hide his face, the wood-user disguised as Sasori, bells jingling from his straw hat.

Yamato reached the hooded figure, and the shinobi gasped when the spy turned their face towards them.

'…_Kabuto?_' Ami thought, shocked, '_But I thought he was one of Orochimaru's most loyal henchmen?_'

The two men seemed to be speaking, but due to the strong wind (which was also the reason they had been able to get so close), the young shinobi couldn't hear a thing.

Naruto was getting agitated, muttering hushed complaints about the captain's actions, or rather, lack of, and Sakura quietly rebuked the blond that Kabuto was no pushover, and caution was necessary, Sai chipping in that if he was too cautious, they could lose their chance by arousing suspicion.

Ami watched carefully, and her heart leapt into her throat as Yamato whipped out a kunai from under his cloak, Orochimaru simultaneously appearing behind Kabuto. A large snake wrapped around the bespectacled boy, but he escaped, jumping down to beside the Sasori look-alike.

The snake vanished in a bang of smoke that was quickly blown away.

"What do we do?" Naruto asked, growling slightly.

"We just wait until Yamato-Taichou gives us the signal." Sakura replied.

Ami was shaking.

Sai looked at her blankly. "I've read in a book that people shake when they're frightened. Weak little bitches don't belong on the battlefield." he said, smirking slightly, "If you're scared, you shouldn't be here."

"You wouldn't understand." the brunette replied, eyes locked on Orochimaru, "You can't learn everything from books Sai. _I'm not afraid. I just really want to __tear that man's face off._"

Kabuto rose a hand and charged it with Chakra, looking as if he was going to fight Orochimaru, but instead span round, slicing off the faux-puppet-user's head. Yamato sprang from the disguise, clutching his bleeding arm. Orochimaru shot snakes at the captain, but Yamato used a wooden replacement.

The was at least half a minute where neither side moved, staring each other down, though they seemed to be talking, and Yamato suddenly gave the signal.

The four shot out from behind the rock and landed in front of the man, Naruto's eyes blazing scarlet slits.

Orochimaru smiled foully. "I suppose we can play around for a bit. We'll see whether you've gotten stronger than Sasuke-kun."

Naruto's jaw clenched as his whiskers darkened. "_Give Sasuke back!_"

Sakura, Ami and Sai turned to look at the boy in shock as red Chakra began pouring out from his body.

"We can't simply 'give him back', Naruto-kun." Kabuto said calmly, pushing up his glasses, "Don't you get it yet? Sasuke-kun came to us of his own free will. You got too attached to him. Be a man and stop dwelling on the past."

"_Shut your fucking trap, Four-Eyes!_" Sakura snarled, "_I'm sick of your attitude! You have no idea how Naruto feels!_"

"If you're so intent on finding out where Sasuke-kun is, you'll have to force it out of me." Orochimaru smirked, "If you can, that is."

The wood beneath Naruto's feet splintered as he shot for the snake-like enemy with terrifying speed, clawing him across the face and sending him flying back into the trees on the other side of the long bridge before any of them even realized what was happening, a long stream of a dust cloud forming behind the man as he hurtled back through the forest.

The bridge swayed heavily.

Naruto, ears and a tail of unpleasant red Chakra fully formed turned slowly to look at Sakura, who held a hand in front of her mouth, jade eyes wide with shock, having never seen Naruto berserking before.

"Naruto-kun, your power as a Jinchuuriki has grown a lot." Kabuto said, glasses glaring in the sunlight, "The Kyuubi's Chakra is getting stronger by the second."

Orochimaru came walking out of the forest, white face peeling off. "You're very much the Jinchuuriki now, aren't you, Naruto-kun?"

The blond bristled.

"It makes perfect sense now." the pale criminal said, walking towards them, eyes on Yamato. "That's why they placed you in charge of him. It appears my experiments have benefited Konoha after all."

'Experiments?' the girls thought, turning to their captain.

"One would think that my old village would be more grateful to me!" Orochimaru said, smiling grotesquely, "Don't you agree, my adorable little lab rat?"

Yamato scowled.

"Who is this man?" Kabuto asked.

Orochimaru placed a hand on his disintegrating face. "It's an old story, one that happened while I still lived in Konoha. The only shinobi in history who could ever use Wood Element techniques, and could ever control Bijuu like they were his pets was the First Hokage. And I wanted that power. I stole DNA samples from the remains of the First Hokage and implanted them in sixty children as an experiment._ Oh_, their bodies rejected the DNA _so violently!_ They all died in a storm of thrashing and spasming. Just as I was preparing to clean up the mess and record my findings, someone stumbled upon one of my other experiments, and I was forced to leave the village. That, of course, meant my labs had to be abandoned. I assumed all sixty children were dead." He removed his hand, revealing mended skin, a disgusting smile on his face. "I had no idea that one _actually survived!_"

'And that one was Yamato-taichou…' Ami thought, narrowing her eyes at the snake-like man before them as the puzzle pieces slotted together. 'Does that mean Yamato-taichou can control Jinchuuriki too?'

"I see." Kabuto said, "So in other words, we'll be able to observe the long-term results of your old experiment."

"I'd be much more interested in testing how strong _my_ Sasuke-kun has grown." Orochimaru said, "By pitting him against Naruto-kun."

"_He doesn't belong to you!_" Naruto snarled, two more tails sprouting from his body. "_Don't talk about Sasuke like he's some toy that you own!_"

Ami swore as several bands of dark red Chakra shot up high into the air, flailing about the boy as the red Chakra intensified, splinters of wood and pieces of leaves being lifted up into the air, orbiting around the boy.

She shielded her eyes from the wind. It felt like the air was burning.

The railing split and the wood beneath Naruto's feet was destroyed as the Chakra that had been swinging around receded back into the boy's body.

"Interesting." Orochimaru smirked.

The water-user clenched her fists tighter. 'Naruto can barely control that Chakra. If he grows another tail, I'm sure that things will get very bad very quickly.'

The boy released a terrifying roar that sounded more like a terrible beast than it did his own voice.

Kabuto went for the boy, hand charged with Chakra, and Naruto turned on him, shooting a blast of pure Chakra at the silver-haired boy from his mouth. Kabuto went airborne, shooting to the other side of the bridge into a tree, slamming into Sakura on the way, the girl going flying and hitting her head off the ground, as the bridge's middle shattered under the blast.

The bridge started to fall apart, Sakura unmoving as she slid across the wooden surface, further and further towards the edge.

"_Sakura! Get up!_" Ami cried, "_Or you'll fall off the bridge! GET UP!_"

Orochimaru leapt off the crumbling bridge back onto solid earth, running into the forest, and Naruto followed.

"_SAKURA!_" Ami screamed again.

"Sakura! Answer me!" Yamato yelled.

There was no reply.

The brunette swore foully as she realised that Sakura was unconscious.

The bridge jolted again.

Yamato formed a seal and created several large timbers that burst from the cliffside, trying to hold the crumbling structure up, but it was too heavy.

"_SAI! SAVE SAKURA! I CAN'T REACH FAR ENOUGH!_" Ami screamed to the raven.

Sakura slipped off the edge.

"_SAI! CATCH HER!_"

The pale boy pulled out a scroll and quickly drew a bird, before bringing the artwork to life and leaping off the bridge down onto its back.

He flew straight past the rosette, not even looking back.

Ami's eyes widened in horror as the girl plummeted towards the water below.

"_WHAT THE FUCK?_" Ami roared.

Yamato quickly made a long strip of wood, miraculously grabbing hold of the pinkette. He sighed in relief.

Ami was quivering with rage aimed at Sai. 'I'LL _KILL _THAT _HALF-NAKED BASTARD _THE NEXT TIME I SEE HIS_ UGLY FUCK _OF A FACE!' she thought, angry tears trickling from her eyes as Yamato hauled Sakura up, laying her down in front of them both.

A massive explosion could be seen in the distance, presumably where Naruto and Orochimaru were battling, and the brunette's head snapped round towards the commotion, observing the gigantic dust cloud before turning back around to Sakura, who Yamato was trying to wake up.

"Sakura! Hey! Sakura! Wake up!"

The girl's eyes slowly opened and Ami sighed in relief as the girl sat up, telling them that she was alright, before wincing and clutching the back of her head.

"Hey." Yamato said, calling for her attention.

"Excuse me. I'm fine now." Sakura said apologetically, before staring around in confusion at the destroyed bridge. "How…?"

"It was Naruto." Yamato explained.

"Naruto?"

"He's on the other side of the bridge with Orochimaru." the captain explained.

Ami glared at the narrow stream of black smoke rising up in the distance, searching the sky for their traitorous teammate.

Yamato made a wood clone of himself and sent it across the valley to the other side, and the duplicate made a wooden defense for itself as a huge gale burst from the forest, entire tree trunks and branches flying through the air like paper.

Once the gust stopped, the clone came out from behind the shield and headed into the forest.

Ami swore, biting her lip.

She wasn't sure who she hoped had made that wind.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! :D  
**


	29. Tails, Lies and Reunions

**Woot! I got a chapter up for the one-year anniversary! :D Enjoy!**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Tails, Lies and Reunions 

* * *

Yamato frowned. "I never thought the fourth tail would appear here."

Ami looked at the captain, brow furrowed. 'Fourth tail?'

A huge shockwave ripped through the air towards them, and the shinobi threw up their arms in front of themselves to shield themselves from the blast.

"Is Naruto causing this too?" Sakura asked, lowering her arm as the boom faded.

"Yes." the captain replied.

"Yamato-taichou, you know something about Naruto, don't you?" the pink-haired girl asked quietly, "What's happening to him?"

"Sakura, you don't need to worry." the wood-user said, "The higher-ups chose me to be your captain… for this _exact_ reason."

A voice spoke up from behind them.

"It seems Sasori won't be coming, after all."

They turned to see Kabuto, walking calmly towards the bridge, but stopping before he stepped onto it. "He was the only one who should've known I was coming here today. He didn't even tell the rest of Akatsuki. And yet, your group from Konoha showed up. I seriously doubt you forced that information out of him through interrogation. In which case, he must've told you voluntarily. I assume he hoped Konoha would pry information out of me and use it to destroy Orochimaru-sama." He smirked. "The Akatsuki are after him as well, you know. Your disguise earlier on was… flawless. Someone in your group must have met Sasori to have been able to do that. And that's when he gave you the information about today, correct? Of course, he probably thought the mind-control technique he'd placed on me was still in effect. That Sasori bothered to tell you about today means that he's acknowledged your strength. Sasori hated Orochimaru-sama and was always talking about how he wanted to get back at him. He wouldn't have handed the task over to you unless he was unable to do it himself. In other words, he's either being held captive… or he has already passed away."

'_Calculating__ thing..._' Ami thought, glaring at the silver-haired boy.

"Hate to tell you, but it's the latter." Sakura said.

Kabuto smirked. "Excellent."

Another enormous explosion ripped through the air.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

Something burst from the forest, along with a huge cloud of dust, and the shinobi tried once again to shield themselves.

Looking over, Ami's eyes widened as she saw the dust clearing.

With a severely elongated sword from Orochimaru's mouth stuck in his abdomen from almost half a mile away, what appeared to be a miniature Kyuubi, red and black cloaking its body, but was undoubtedly Naruto, rested in a crater, snarling deeply in his throat.

"He's more like the Kyuubi than ever." Kabuto smirked.

Sakura's eyes filled as she recalled memories of the boy, smiling and happy, calling her name with a grin that lit up his face, comparing it to the bleeding, wild beast he currently was, surrounded by foul Chakra.

The boy sank further into the stone behind him as Orochimaru pushed harder against his sword.

"_Naruto!_" Sakura cried.

Ami's eyes widened in shock.

The sword wasn't even piercing his skin.

Naruto swept away the sword with one hand like it was nothing, nearly slicing Kabuto and his teammates in half as he discarded the weapon.

The bespectacled boy, Yamato, Sakura and Ami watched from a distance.

"Instead of a fight between shinobi, this is more like a fight between monsters." Kabuto smirked.

Orochimaru's sword receded back into the mouth of the snake poking out from his own jaws, which also withdrew.

The Kyuubified Naruto released a terrible roar.

"Just look at that thing." Kabuto said, as the Konoha Jinchuuriki continued to bellow. "Did he want to save Sasuke-kun so badly he was willing to turn into that thing? He's even lost control over his own body. …What a sad child."

Ami gritted her teeth, trying to keep her eyes clear.

The pink-haired girl ran for the boy.

"_Wait, Sakura!_" Yamato yelled, "_You can't get near Naruto right now!_"

She ignored him. "_Naruto! Enough! That's enough! I'll save Sasuke-kun for you, so please stop, Naruto!_"

Ami gasped as Sakura stumbled and the boy smacked her away with one of his tails.

Yamato bound the Jinchuuriki with wood, Kabuto making a strangely mixed noise of vague disappointment and amusement.

Ami exchanged looks with her captain and ran for Sakura, who was clutching her bleeding, burning arm.

The brunette inhaled sharply again, drawing a kunai as Kabuto began walking calmly towards them, a smirk on his face.

Yamato constricted the boy with another Mokuton jutsu.

"_I don't think so._" the captain said, glaring slightly.

"Don't jump to conclusions." the Oto-Nin replied calmly, brow slightly furrowed, "I don't see any reason for us to fight anymore. Just the opposite, in fact."

"_What do you mean?_" Ami scowled, knife still at the ready, bristling when Kabuto's hand glowed with green Chakra, which he directed at Sakura's injury.

"Our groups share the same viewpoint. …We both want Akatsuki gone. I figure if we let you guys live, you might take another one of them down for us."

Ami was still glaring furiously, and wasn't sure whether she should feel more or less suspicious as she saw her teammate's arm healing.

"_What?_" the silver-haired shinobi asked, brow furrowed at the brunette.

"_I don't trust you._" she growled, "You're a _sneaky rat_ who works as the right-hand side of the Missing-Nin who kidnapped our teammate. It's hardly difficult for you to put the pieces together." She flinched as Naruto began to break lose.

"You can repay me by killing at least one more Akatsuki." Kabuto said, glancing at Naruto, "But _that's _your problem. You'll have to take care of him yourselves."

The blond broke loose and Yamato leapt for the boy, making hand signs as Kabuto vanished in a pop of smoke.

The captain thrust a palm into Naruto's chest, and his hand began to glow with Chakra, a long, thick string of it joining him to Naruto as he leapt back, slamming a palm on the ground to bring up several spiked, wooden posts around the Jinchuuriki.

Naruto roared as the Kyuubi Chakra receded to reveal his skin, dyed red with his own bleeding, and with his own voice, rather than the Kyuubi's, released a bawl of agony.

* * *

Ami watched as Sakura healed the boy, the blond's skin growing back far more slowly than usual.

'I guess that usually, the Kyuubi helps.' she thought, as Sakura intensified the healing level, flinching when sharp pain shot through her only partly-healed arm, the whiskered boy bucking and gritting his teeth with agony as the tanned covering on his flesh grew back. '…He's a _mess._' she thought sadly.

"Yamato-taichou." the pink-haired medic said quietly, "Will you please teach me the technique that you used to stop Naruto?"

"That's impossible." the man said sadly, "I'm the only one in Konoha who can use that technique, because I'm the only one infused with the First Hokage's DNA."

The eyes of the girls widened.

"That technique forcibly suppresses the Kyuubi's Chakra. You can't learn it without possessing the unique abilities required for its use. Unfortunately I'm only an experimental copy. I don't even compare to the original, the First. That necklace that Naruto wears is an heirloom of the First Hokage, which is made of a crystal which only responds to the Chakra of the First. It's because of that necklace that I can control a Jinchuuriki's Chakra. Some people believe that that is why the First became Hokage to begin with. That's also the reason I was chosen for this team's captain."

"…It's always like this." Sakura said sadly, "The only things I can ever do for Naruto… are small and insignificant."

"At least you can heal him." Ami frowned.

"It's not the size of what you do for him that counts." Yamato said, looking at Sakura, though it was unclear whether he was talking do both of them or just the medic, "What really matters are your feelings for Naruto." The wood-user smiled. "I can tell just by looking at you. You really l-"

"Sakura-chan…?" Naruto mumbled, stirring awake.

"Naruto!" Sakura beamed, eyes filling with tears of joy.

Ami placed her hands behind the boy's back as he sat up gradually, holding the back of his head as he looked around, confused.

"What happened…? I was going after that Orochimaru guy and then… and then what did I do? Sakura-chan… Hey, Sakura-chan why are you crying?"

"Oh, there's just something in my eye." the girl smiled, wiping the droplets away, but being interrupted by a loud 'Ahh!' of understanding from the blond.

"_I know!_ It was that _asshole_, _Sai!_ He said something mean and hurt your feelings again, didn't he? Like 'ugly bitch' or 'freak of nature'! _That bastard!_"

Sakura got to her feet, fists clenched, speaking in a dangerously quiet voice. "Sai never called me a 'freak of nature'…"

"Oh? R-really?"

"Don't make up new insults, _you jerk!_" she barked, punching the boy lightly (well, light for her) in the stomach. "Oh, actually, where is Sai?" she asked, as Naruto clutched his gut, doubling over in pain.

Ami's hands tightened into fists as she thought of the raven-haired boy again.

"Sai is-" the captain began, but was interrupted by an incoming message on his earpiece. "Wait a second."

There were several seconds of silence before Yamato lowered his hand again.

"…Well?" Ami asked, a little too stressed to care that she was being slightly rude.

"Oh. That's right. Right now, Sai is headed somewhere together with Orochimaru."

"_Together?_" Sakura demanded, and the man nodded. "What do you mean?"

"It means that he's a _traitor_." Ami snarled.

"Come with me, you three." Yamato said.

* * *

"The ground's still soft." Naruto said, kicking the bottom of a large crater on the other side of the wrecked bridge, two massive gorges extending far out from it, three furrows in the soil between them. "And the bridge is _trashed_. What the hell happened that messed this place up so badly?"

"You don't remember?" Yamato asked, staring at the boy.

Naruto scratched his cheek, thinking.

Ami sighed, looking at the large ink splatter on the ground beside them, a clear sign of Sai having been there, along with his scattered belongings.

"Now that I think about it, why was I unconscious?"

"Orochimaru knocked you out." Sakura lied.

"_For real? Damn it!_"

Ami stepped over, picking up the raven's picture book from underneath a scroll, glancing swiftly around at his other things all strewn around the place before directing her eyes back at the artwork. "I thought this was important to him. Why'd he leave it?"

"If he was nervous enough to leave things behind, I'd say he was pretty tense while speaking to Orochimaru." Yamato said.

"And he probably still smiled like a creep." Ami muttered, handing the book to Sakura.

"You sound like you were watching." the rosette said, eyeing their captain curiously as she took the book from her teammate's hands.

"Up until a moment ago I had a wood clone over here. We were communicating through a walkie-talkie I have in here." he replied, gesturing to the side of his head.

"What happened to smiley?" Ami queried.

"After talking to Orochimaru about something, the two of them left with Kabuto."

"You couldn't hear their conversation?"

"No. The clone couldn't catch it."

"He may have been threatened and forced to go with them." Sakura said.

"He certainly wasn't threatened to let you fall off the bridge." Ami growled.

"It didn't look like that, Sakura." Yamato said, "He approached Orochimaru on his own and handed him something. It looked like he was trying to gain Orochimaru's favour."

"W-wait a minute!" Naruto cried. "He may be a complete jerk, but there's no way he'd betray us!"

"No, he might." Sakura said.

Ami's brows rose slightly to find that the pinkette shared her opinion.

"Yamato-taichou, do you know about Danzou?" the medic asked.

"I do." the armoured man replied.

"Who's Danzou?" Ami asked.

"He's a hawkish man who once opposed the Third Hokage." Yamato said.

"He's an old man, Sai's superior, and doesn't think well of the Third." Sakura continued.

* * *

Between the two of them, Sakura and Yamato figured out and explained that Danzou may have give Sai another mission, besides their own, using Sai to get close to Orochimaru, so that they could combine forces to attack Konoha so that Danzou could overthrow Tsunade and become Hokage, and that depending on how things went, they may have to kill Sai.

* * *

"My clone is trailing them, but I don't know what will happen." Yamato said, "We're going after them too."

"But-" Sakura began, but was cut off by Naruto.

"Got it! Let's g-!" the blond, cried, before the eyes rolled back in his head and he hit the ground face-down.

'I was wondering how he was so energetic.' Ami thought as she watched Sakura help the boy up.

* * *

There were a few minutes of them trying to figure out just what to do, Yamato saying to leave Naruto behind and that although he was Kakashi's replacement, he wasn't Kakashi, and wouldn't smile and tell them he'd protect them.

With Sakura refusing and Ami trying to figure out the best solution, while Naruto argued that he would be fine, eventually, the captain simply asked the Jinchuuriki what he would do with himself, as if they didn't go soon, they would lose Orochimaru, Kabuto, Sai and what may very well be their only chance at finding Sasuke.

The blond, being as pigheaded as ever, of course chose to come, and so, the group set out together, through the trees after the enemy, until Sakura's hand slipped off a branch she grabbed using her injured arm, nearly hitting the ground.

As they watched Sakura heal herself, panting and grunting in pain, it became apparent that the Kyuubi Chakra must work like poison, and that even though Kabuto used powerful Medical Ninjutsu on her, it wasn't going to heal quickly.

Naruto began asking questions about the injury, to which the rosette had responded with a lie that Orochimaru had done it to her.

* * *

"Let's take a short break here." Yamato said, "Sakura is the only medic in the group. The success of our mission lies with her."

"I thought you said we have to leave right away." Ami said, not arguing, but rather pointing out his self-contradiction.

"I also say that haste makes waste." the man replied, "There's a difference between hurrying and being reckless."

"That's right! That's right!" Naruto grinned. "Sakura-chan, you're this team's only med-ninja and master of brute force! You're the most vital part of the group-"

"_Stop adding 'brute-force' to the list!_" the pink-haired girl barked.

Ami and Yamato smiled as they watched Sakura yelling at the confused boy.

"Naruto." the wood-user piped up. "Since Sai has left, you'll be working as my buddy now. Sakura and Ami can be buddies. Let's work out our strategy together now."

The boy obediently left with their captain, away from the girls.

The brunette watched, feeling rather useless, as Sakura healed herself.

The water-user spoke up after a while.

"Sakura."

The pinkette looked at her.

"I understand what you're trying to do, but you can't keep lying to Naruto."

"…I'm only lying because-" the pink-haired girl murmured.

"You want to protect him." the brunette interrupted, "I know. …I lied to you before for the same reason." she said quietly, causing the Medic-Nin's eyebrows to raise in shock, "But I'm not going to do it again." She pulled up her sleeve to show the girl her own injury from a week ago that their blond teammate had inflicted on her, still coloured a mixture of violet, green and yellow.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"I got hit by Naruto before, back when we were trying to save Gaara. Naruto went wild after he realized he was dead and ended up hitting me. He remembers hitting me, probably because he didn't have as many tails so he wasn't quite as possessed, and since I knew how horrified he would be for you to know, I covered it up. My Chakra fought against the Kyuubi's a bit, but since medical techniques don't work on me, it's healing even more slowly than your wound." she lowered her sleeve again. "And if I know Yamato-taichou like I think I do, chances are he'll tell Naruto what really happened. And if he doesn't, I will, because I want him to know what's going on when he uses that power. Yamato-taichou won't always be there to stop it. Naruto needs to understand the consequences. He's hit me and now, you. I'm sure he'll be terribly ashamed to know that, but that's necessary to give him the drive to keep himself under better control. Cruel kindness."

The pink-haired girl bowed her head in understanding.

"Aside from that, do you still have Sai's picture book? If we read it, we might find something out about him."

"Yeah…" the girl said, moving her arm, the pain now mostly stopped, pulling out the book and opening it.

* * *

The kunoichi were shocked by what they found, and called Naruto and Yamato over to see.

The story started from the ends of the book, with two boys, one with white hair and one with black hair, one at each end, defeating their enemies and taking weapons and armour from them as they went through, meeting in the middle. However, the centre was unfinished, so it was unclear as to just what happened once the two boys, who both defeated every enemy they were met with, once they met each other. Only the right page had anything drawn at all; the black-haired boy with a hand outstretched towards the centre, everything but his face drawn.

* * *

"Hey, don't you think the black-haired guy looks kind of like Sai?" Naruto piped up.

"Yeah, he does." Sakura agreed.

"So he was drawing himself?" Yamato said, "Then who's the other boy?"

"He said it was his brother's treasure, so perhaps his brother?" Ami suggested.

"So, when you open it from the centre… Sai and his brother…"

Their conversation was interrupted by an incoming transmission from Yamato's bunshin.

"My clone managed to follow them to their base." the captain said, "Let's get moving."

* * *

The group ran across the lake towards the island in the centre, and now stood before a large rock in a barren placed filled with dust, dead trees, rocks, termite mounds and the like.

Yamato handed the shinobi small seeds to swallow so that he could track them if they got split up, and the group infiltrated by tunneling down into the ground and making a small hole in the base, as it was completely surrounded by stone, in almost utter silence by Yamato applying pressure to a minuscule crack using a stake of his Chakra-reinforced wood.

* * *

They quickly found Sai in a room by means of the same tracking method Yamato had used on the others, having planted seeds in his food and clothes back at the hot springs.

* * *

Naruto grabbed the boy roughly by the front of his clothes, but Sai kept on smiling, pale face glowing in the dark room lit only by a candle, light from the flame dancing on the stone walls. "_Why the hell did you turn on us, traitor?_"

"You shouldn't be so noisy, or things really will get difficult." the raven leered.

Naruto snarled. "You_-!_"

"_Naruto._" Sakura warned, and the boy gritted his teeth before angrily releasing the boy.

She stepped forward and handed the pale boy his book. "Here. This is yours, right?"

"Thank you." Sai said, still smiling as he took it.

"Danzou's orders, right?" the rosette said, glaring slightly at the boy, "He's plotting something involving Orochimaru, isn't he? And you were chosen to be their liaison. _What are they up to?_"

Sai was silent, fake expression still in place.

"He wants to team up with Orochimaru to try a new 'Crush the Leaf' plan, doesn't he?" Yamato said.

There was a long silence.

"No, he doesn't-" Sai began, but Naruto cut him off with a growl.

"_We know that smile is fake, and we know you're lying!_" the blond barked.

There was another silence.

"Now that you all know I'm here, my mission is a failure. I can't finish you all off by myself. And since you've figured this much out, there's no point in trying to hide the truth." He dropped the facade. "It's just as you said. We're trying to destroy the current Konoha. I was to be taken in by Orochimaru with the understanding that I would help him conspire against Konoha. That is the true mission that was assigned to me."

"_Do you understand what you're saying?_" Naruto demanded, "_That's-!_"

"That's not all. I'm also to secretly send back information on Orochimaru to Danzou-sama. In other words, I'm also working as a spy."

"Keep talking." Yamato said, raising a kunai. "And don't leave a single thing out."

"So you're supposed to be part of an alliance with Orochimaru whilst spying on him behind his back? That's so dangerous…" Sakura murmured.

"The moment Konoha is betrayed, Orochimaru will definitely betray us." the raven smiled. "It's a preventative measure to make sure we keep the upper hand."

"I see." Yamato said, nodding.

"Danzou wants to make Konoha his…" Sakura said, looking down, brow furrowed slightly, "And you're supposed to make it happen all by yourself?"

"The information I write on my scrolls can take the form of small animals." the boy said, "That way I can still leak information without compromising my safety. That's the reason I was chosen for this mission."

"If Konoha is thrown into chaos, lots of people will die again!" Sakura said angrily, "Do you really understand just what it is you're trying to do?"

"Who cares? I'm just following orders."

"Sai… you…" the rosette said quietly, shocked.

"That's _wrong_." Ami scowled, disgusted.

"One more thing. The name 'Sai' was assigned to me for this mission. I am no one. I am merely one of Danzou's arms. I do not exist. There is no point in saying anything to me."

"…If that's true, then why do you treasure that picture book so much?" Sakura inquired.

The boy seemed lost for words as the girl continued.

"The two children on the cover are you and your brother, aren't they? Why is that book so precious to you? Because it's the only thing that proves you exist. You haven't lost your emotions as much as you like to claim. No shinobi can fully throw away their emotions. The fact that you accepted the book back and said 'thank you' proves it. You felt relief when I handed it to you."

"In what way does carrying around this book prove that I exist?"

"The reason you don't want to let go of that picture book is because you can't give up the image you have of yourself as a little brother. Do you know why?"

The boy was silent, and seemed confused.

"Because your ties with your brother were important to you!"

Sai's blank eyes widened, and suddenly seemed the tiniest bit more understanding.

"You don't want to destroy the bond you share with your brother."

"'Bond'?" he repeated.

"I apologize, but we took a look at the contents of the book." Yamato said. "Only the two centre pages are incomplete."

The boy's eyes narrowed.

"Sai. I know that you're from ANBU Root. I also know that Danzou had you go through special training to kill your emotions."

"'Special training'?" Naruto mumbled, confused.

"In order to kill your emotions, you underwent the vile training once used in the Hidden Village of 'Blood' Mist.

Ami's eyes widened in horror. 'That's the training Zabuza did… that must mean that Sai… killed his own brother and friends, along with his feelings? And Danzou had him do it? The more I hear about that man the more I dislike him…'

"Going by the flow of the book, you take the weapons and armour of the foes you meet. When you get to the centre pages, you would have had to fight your brother. …You killed your-"

"_Wrong._" Sai growled, showing true feeling in his voice for the first time since they had met him. "This picture book was meant to be a present for my brother. But, just when the picture book was almost complete… brother… _brother…_ died from a disease." he finished smiling.

'He sounded seriously offended when Yamato-taichou implied that he killed his brother…' Ami thought to herself, 'Maybe Sai is human, after all.'

"There are a lot of children in Root who are torn away from their parents because of war. He and I got along like real brothers, even though we weren't related by blood. He often praised my pictures. The centre two pages were the ones I wanted to show him the most, but since he died… I can't remember what I wanted to draw on them."

* * *

Ami folded her arms as she examined the boy tied up before her with Yamato's Mokuton jutsu.

"Tough break, Sai." Yamato said. "I'm going to leave you here and have my wood clone keep watch."

"It's time we went after Sasuke." Ami said.

"You should give up." Sai said bluntly, "I met Sasuke-kun. Orochimaru is always with Sasuke-kun. In other words, you'll have to fight Orochimaru again. If you pursue him, you'll be ripped apart and used for their experiments. Plus…"

"'Plus'…?" Naruto said, urging him to continue.

"He no longer cares about you. Sakura-san said that you think of Sasuke-kun as a brother. And yet…"

Team Seven's original remnants tensed.

"Why for someone like him?" Sai asked, "Why are you trying so hard to bring him back, even risking your life by going up against Orochimaru, when he thinks so little of you? _Why?_ You haven't been ordered to do this."

Ami felt the cold stone of the necklace brush against her flesh, and she clenched her fists.

To everyone's shock, Naruto smiled.

"Back in the day," the whiskered boy said grinning, "I couldn't stand Sasuke. Even though neither of us had families, he was an elite and I was dead last in class. But, it really was a lot of fun when we were together. He… he acknowledged me more than anyone else ever did. Sasuke is my friend. Someone who I was finally able to form a bond with."

Sai's eyes widened. "But still… But still, against Orochimaru, you-"

"I don't care who I have to fight!" Naruto beamed. "If he rips my arms off, I'll kick him to death. If he rips my legs off, I'll bite him to death! If he rips my head off, I'll stare him to death! And if he gouges my eyes out, I'll curse him to death from beyond the grave!"

As the Jinchuuriki continued to speak, Sai's eyebrows rose higher and higher as he gaped at the blond, the others smiling at the blond's characteristic stubbornness and guts.

"Even if I'm torn to shreds, I'm taking Sasuke back from Orochimaru!" the blond swore.

The raven was staring the blond down.

"We'll move as soon as the guard clone's complete." Yamato said, going to make several hand seals, but leaping back, as did the others, when several kunai rained from the sky and Kabuto landed before them, in front of Sai.

"And here I thought we'd managed to fool our tracker." he said, smirking as he adjusted his glasses, "But you are one of Orochimaru-sama's guinea-pigs, so I suppose it's not unexpected."

Naruto growled. "Kabuto…"

"You're persistent." Sakura frowned.

Ami narrowed her eyes at the man in displeasure.

"Sai, I see you've been taken prisoner." the silver-haired boy said, looking back at the raven.

"_Take a hike._" Naruto ordered. "If you don't leave, I won't hold back."

A shadow clone of the blond's flew down from above, rasengan spiraling in its palm, but Kabuto dodged simply and kicked the boy away.

"It's pointless." he smirked.

"_You don't know until you try!_" Naruto snarled, making a seal, and four clones dashed at the sound-nin.

The bunshin vanished as they were quickly beaten, and Yamato attacked with several wooden columns, as Kabuto danced between them, Sai swinging from his hand.

Ami latched onto a wooden beam with a cord of water and pulled herself up, shooting a concentrated blast of air at the boy. However, she missed, being snatched herself and flung towards the ground, though she managed to land on her feet. A column planted itself in the ground and Sakura shot up it, swinging a fist at the boy and blasting out the side of a large cathedral termite mound, the winged residents chasing the pony-tailed boy down onto the ground, where he sliced them to pieces.

Once finished, Kabuto leant down to speak in Sai's ear, though they were unable to hear just what he was saying, and cut through the wooden binding with a quick slice using a Chakra-filled palm.

"I must say, I genuinely feel sorry for you people." he said, "Especially you, Naruto-kun. You're the most pitiful of the lot. Even if you do defeat me, you're wasting your time. _People change._ Sasuke-kun's not the same person that you used to know."

"Well, when we knew him, he was grumpy and mean." Ami called down, glaring, "It doesn't matter what he's turned into,_ we're taking him back!_"

To their shock, Sai suddenly grabbed a hold of Kabuto and pinned him, smacking the boy with glasses' face to the ground for a dirt facial.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kabuto growled, trying to turn his head to look at the raven, who gazed back calmly. "Your mission was to be the liaison between Danzou and Orochimaru-sama…"

"You said people change. That means I can too."

Kabuto was furious. "_What?_"

"But, there are also things that don't change." the raven continued.

"Sai… you…" Naruto mumbled, stunned.

"That 'bond'… I want to see it for myself." the artist said, looking up at the whiskered boy.

"Sai, don't let him go." Yamato said, walking over, before he tied up an infuriated Kabuto with wood and stuck him in the very spot that Sai had previously been, looking very much like a misbehaving child in time out.

As Yamato made the moku bunshin, Naruto stared at the mysterious boy.

"Sai…" he whispered, "What are you thinking?"

"I want to know why you go so far for Sasuke-kun and what 'bonds' really are." the pale ANBU Root member said simply, smiling again, though it seemed just the slightest bit more genuine than usual. "According to you, I still have bonds with my brother. If such bonds are really that important, then I might understand them better if I see you and Sasuke-kun. That's all."

Kabuto began giggling.

"_What's so damn funny?_" Sakura demanded.

"You idiots don't know the _real_ Sasuke-kun." he said, smugly.

"Where is Sasuke-kun?" Yamato demanded, stepping forward. "Answer me."

Kabuto was silent for a long time, as a gecko scurried around his feet, before finally answering. "By now, he's probably finished with his training and gone back to his room in the inner area."

"It's true that Sasuke-kun went to train with Orochimaru." Sai said, "I don't think he's lying."

"Then, let's hurry-!" Naruto began, but he was cut off.

"However, 'inner area' doesn't tell us much."

"Even I don't know which room." Kabuto glared, "This place has spaces and rooms carved out everywhere. There's more than just one or two inner chambers."

"Then we'll just have to search all of them." Naruto said.

The silver-haired boy smirked. "That could work. You might find him if you search at random like that. But, if you aren't careful you could disturb the wrong bush and have a snake jump out at you. Orochimaru-sama's room is back there as well."

"Well, thanks for being honest with us." Yamato said.

"Oh, there's no need for thanks."

"You think we're all going to get killed, don't you?"

"_Yeah._"

"_Son of a-!_" Naruto began, but Yamato stopped him by throwing up a hand.

"I guess we'll see." the captain said calmly. "Let's go."

The group ran, leaving the silver-haired henchman alone with the clone.

* * *

Adrenaline surged through Ami's veins as sweat poured down her face, dashing through the hideout with Sakura and Yamato, searching behind every door they found, Naruto and Sai having split up from them to go the other way.

Memories of the boy flooded her brain; fighting each other at the academy on her first day, eating together on missions as Genin, giving him the necklace for his birthday that she now wore herself, going on dates together with Baby stalking them both, him appearing on her doorstep and talking to her on the night he left, and everything in-between.

Frustration poured out in sweat and tears as they checked room after room fruitlessly.

This was getting scary.

'_What if Kabuto lied? What if there are secret rooms inside these rooms, and we've already passed him? What if Orochimaru finds and kills us? What if Sai tricked us again? What if Sasuke really has changed too much?_' These were just a few of the terrifying possibilities going through her mind.

As they checked yet another door, Yamato suddenly sensed Naruto's Chakra fluctuate.

That could only mean one thing; A fight.

* * *

They burst through a wall to find Naruto and Orochimaru staring each other down, the snake-like man licking his lips.

Ami almost facepalmed. '_This __guy again?__!_'

Orochimaru's sick smirk suddenly slid off his face. "Naruto-kun, I'll let you live for now. Please do your best to kill at least one more Akatsuki for me, okay?"

"_W-what?_" the blond exclaimed.

"Now then, I have business with that Sai boy. If you'll excuse me." The snake-man vanished in a cloud of smoke, and Sakura released a relieved breath.

"Naruto, where's Sai?" Yamato asked.

"Sai's searching for Sasuke. We have to do something before Orochimaru finds him!" the blond replied. "I could do Tajuu Kage Bunshin to find him, but it'll use up the last of my Chakra. And you guys can search down that way."

Ami noticed the picture book sticking out of the ANBU Root member's abandoned bag. She picked it up and opened it on the middle page, surprised to see the drawing finished.

"Oh yeah, he remembered." Naruto said beaming, "That's what he wanted to show his brother; a 'picture of their dreams'."

"They're both smiling." Sakura said, looking at the book, happy herself.

"Yeah. After he finished it, he smiled for real from the bottom of his heart."

Yamato also reached inside the boy's bag and pulled out a small, black book.

His eyes widened. "_This is…!_"

The heads of the young shinobi turned in curiosity.

* * *

It was a bingo book; An assassination list that ANBU used for their targets. People that had been killed had their pictures crossed out with large black 'X's.

"Why would Sai have something like that?" Sakura asked, bewildered.

Yamato was flicking through the book, when suddenly, his eyes widened.

"What is it?" Ami asked, noticing his change in expression.

The captain turned the book around to them wordlessly, and their jaws dropped in shock.

An unmarked picture of thirteen year-old Uchiha Sasuke stared out from inside it.

* * *

It finally hit them.

Sai's mission was never to act as a liaison between Orochimaru and Danzou.

His real mission was something completely different.

* * *

The assassination of Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

"_But he smiled for real!_" Naruto cried, "_He said he'd help get Sasuke back! _It wasn't like before-!"

"Naruto, it's more than likely than he was just trying to fool you." Ami said sadly, cutting him off.

"Everyone in this book are or once were a threat of some kind to Konoha." Yamato said, "It's clear that it's Sai's job to eliminate threats to Konoha, and Sasuke is also one of those threats. Danzou's goal was to eliminate Sasuke, Orochimaru's future body. That's why Sai approached Orochimaru. It wasn't to destroy Konoha... it was to protect it!" He gritted his teeth. "Just what you'd expect from a warmonger like him."

"...There's not point standing around whining." Naruto said, "I don't give a damn about Danzou's orders or what Sai thinks! What we need to do right now is to team up with Sai and get to Sasuke!"

"Naruto is right." Yamato smiled. "I just sensed Sai's Chakra a moment ago. _Let's hurry!_"

* * *

As they headed towards where Yamato sensed Sai, the echoes of an explosion sounded throughout the hideout.

* * *

"_Found him!_" the pinkette growled.

Sakura shot for the boy, Ami hot on her heels, heading towards the light at the end of the corridor, where Sai stood, gazing up calmly, sunlight shining down onto his pale face.

The pink-haired girl grabbed the raven roughly by the front of his shirt, shouting in his face. "_What are you really after? How many more times are you going to stab us in the back before you're satisfied?_"

"_If all you're going to do is lie and betray us, we should have just left you tied up with specky!_" Ami snarled, jabbing a finger at the boy, before noticing a body of water behind herself, up above them, and flicking her head round to see.

Her eyes widened.

There was a man silouetted against the sun, hand on his hip, looking down at them.

'_It can't be..._'

"Sakura... Ami, too..." the person said from above, sounding vaguely surprised, though not really bothered.

The girls' eyes practically buldged out of their heads.

'_That voice..._' Ami thought, heart pounding wildly, knowing that the person they had been searching for all this time, now stood before them, a mere stone's throw away. '_It's deeper, but it's definitely..._'

Sakura's voice completed her thoughts with a barely audible whisper.

"Sasuke... kun...?"

* * *

**Dan dan daan! :D**

**Hope you enjoyed! ^_^**

**My goodness, Ami's mouth was truly filthy in this chapter. Not quite Hidan-level of course, though! XD (If you don't know who Hidan is, you just haven't read/watched far enough into the series. Don't ask me. I don't like giving or receiving spoliers. They drive me insane.) **

**I edited out most of the swearing because of a few upset reviewers. I didn't realize it was that offensive. Sorry. :( I have a father who actually is Hidan-level, so it doesn't really bother me at all. My apologies to any that I have upset. **

**I haven't edited all of Naruto's cursing though, because I don't believe in changing the original dialogue. I speak a bit of Japanese and can tell what they are saying a good bit of the time, so I know the difference between when someone's cursing and not. 'Teme' doesn't literally mean 'b*st*rd' but it's a very rude way of saying 'you' so that's more than likely what's going to follow. Naruto is a teen anime, not a kid's anime, no matter what the dubs try to make it. There is cursing. Most of the time it's put in the subtitles as 'damn' or the like, but majority of the time, it's something far ruder. I'm trying to keep the lines as accurate as possible, but I promise to tone Ami down a good bit.**

**By the way, rewatching this... the fact of just how much time these guys waste standing around and talking was really driven home to me. They're in the same place as the Missing-Nin they've been searching for for ages, yet instead of looking for him, they're trying to tell Sai he has feelings, reading a picture book, Naruto's saying how he'll stare someone to death if they rip off his head, and they're all trying to decide whether they like Sai or not. ¬_¬ **

**Are they really bothered about Sasuke at all? If I was in that situation with my teammates I'd be constantly figeting in frustration that we weren't searching and tell them that if they talked about the picture book any more I'd _shove it up their arse_. DX  
**

**Mental... Don't get me wrong, though, I still love the show. :D**

**I adore the English language for allowing me to do what I did with the bit about Sakura's feelings, since we really don't know whether NaruSaku is canon or not (Don't argue with me. Please. =_=) and Ami can't exactly vanish from reality just there for convenience's sake. :D Sure, there are a few ways I could have handled that, but still, I'm happy.**

**:)**


	30. Bonds, Slices and Pills

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Enjoy. :D**

* * *

Bonds, Slices and Pills

* * *

Naruto rushed out of the tunnel, coming to a halt beside Sakura as they all looked up at their old teammate, now a Missing-Nin from Konoha.

The wind blew gently around his face, inky hair moving softly with the breeze, dark eyes staring down at them in a look of vague indifference, hand on his hip, wearing sound-style clothing that consisted of a loose, white, open-chested top, dark blue trousers with black sandals and a blue haramaki tied with a belt of purple rope, a long sword in a sheath stuck behind the cord.

"Naruto? So you're here too?" the raven questioned, looking down at the blond. "I assume Kakashi's with you, as well."

"Sorry, but I'm not Kakashi-san." Yamato said, stepping out, "I'm here in his place. And the new Team Kakashi is now taking you back to Konoha."

"Team Kakashi…?" Sasuke repeated, looking the members over.

Sai drew his sword and pointed it at Sasuke.

The girls rounded on him.

"_How many times are you going to change sides in one day?_" Ami demanded.

"_Sai! I knew it! You're-!_" Sakura barked.

"So he's my replacement?" Sasuke droned, "Another loser joins the ranks. He said something about wanting to protect my 'bond' with Naruto."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Sai, wasn't your mission to-?"

"Yes, my secret mission was to assassinate Sasuke-kun." the ANBU Root interrupted. "But I don't care about my orders anymore. I want to act of my own free will. And I think Naruto-kun can help me to remember… what it was like to feel. I think it was something very important." He raised his voice to speak to Sasuke. "I don't know much about you, but there must be a reason that Naruto-kun, Sakura-san and Ami-san came all this way just for you! They're going all out to keep their bonds with you from being severed. I still don't understand it myself, but, Sasuke-kun, you should!"

"Oh, I do… _That's why I severed them!_" the boy replied, glaring at his former teammates and their new additions.

The eyes of Team Kakashi's original members widened at his words.

"I have a different kind of 'bond'." the Uchiha continued, his eyes narrowing, "_A bond of hatred with my brother._ Other bonds merely confuse you… and distract you from your greatest desires and the emotions that matter."

The others were speechless.

Ami bit her lip. 'I know it's been two and a half years, but I still hadn't expected this much of a change… It's alarming…'

"Then _why…?_" Naruto mumbled, before his voice rose to a cry. "_Why didn't you kill me back then? Is this your idea of cutting off bonds, Sasuke?_"

"The reason is simple." the raven replied, "It's not that I couldn't cut off my bonds with you. The idea of doing what he said in order to gain power made me sick."

Naruto was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Ami was silent, gazing up at the Uchiha. 'I know what he means… and I thank him for that small shred of decency.'

"I don't owe you any explanations." the raven said coolly, "All I'll say about back then… is that that day, I let you live on a _whim_." His eyebrows furrowed abruptly and before the others even realized what had happened, Sasuke had leapt down to beside Naruto, and placed a hand on his shoulder, standing in front of him, speaking in his ear. "Come to think of it, wasn't it your dream to become Hokage? You should've spent your time training instead of wasting it, running around after me. Right, Naruto?"

Ami's face darkened at the boy's speed and words.

"And this time, I'm going to kill you on a whim." the Uchiha said, drawing his blade.

"Someone who can't even save one friend isn't fit to become Hokage." Naruto replied, staring straight ahead. "Right, Sasuke?"

The raven swung his blade, but Sai leapt forwards and blocked it, grabbing Sasuke's wrist with one hand, his own short sword in the other.

"That was the correct way to block my attack." the spiky-haired raven smirked. "Chidori Nagashi!" he cried, flinging Naruto away as lightning surrounded his body, red Sharingan spinning wildly in his head, blasting Yamato's Mokuton attack to pieces.

Ami shivered at the sight of the blue electricity as Naruto and Sai were both electrocuted before hitting the ground, Naruto's necklace of blue crystal coming loose from around his neck, Sai's short sword sliding away.

'_There's no chance I can touch him!_' Ami thought, '_That's a… a full-body Chidori! I can't defend against that! It'll kill me!_'

Alarm bells went off in Ami's head as Sasuke's lightning dissipated, and recalling the training she had gone through the past two and a half years for this moment, she let all the fear drain from her body, and ran for him.

The boy turned his head towards her and narrowed his eyes slightly. Directing his sword at the girl, he charged it full of lightning Chakra, and seemed slightly thrown when the brunette retaliated with a sudden blast of wind, wiping the lightning away from the katana and knocking him slightly off balance. Ami formed a few quick hand signs and blasted another gust of wind at him, but this time he attacked with a fire technique, which she extinguished with water, which he directed lightning through, the girl again dissolving the boy's attack with wind, though just with enough force to neutralize it, rather than do that and attack the boy as well.

In an instant, Sasuke was beside her. He grabbed and threw the girl to the ground onto a large piece of rubble, which dug into her back painfully, before stomping harshly on her stomach and turning back to the others as Ami rolled off the stone and coughed behind him, clutching her abdomen and gasping for breath.

Sakura shot for the Sharingan-user with a fist full of Chakra. Sasuke flew for the girl, sword out, but Yamato, sensing the danger, leapt in to try and defend the girl, but was stabbed in the chest by the raven.

"_Yamato-taichou!_" Sakura cried.

"That was the wrong way… to block my attack." Sasuke said, pushing the still-crackling katana deeper. "My sword of Kusanagi has a special blade. Guarding against it is impossible." He turned to look at Naruto, who was crawling along the ground towards him.

The blond's eyes were red slits once more, and scarlet met scarlet in a stare that lasted several seconds, before Naruto broke it and the raven looked at the blond in what seemed to be a mixture of fascination and disgust.

The wood-user quickly formed three hand signs and pushed the sword from his chest with a timber that sprouted from his torso.

Sasuke staggered back, momentarily surprised at the unexpected move, before Yamato did another technique and created a large prison around the Uchiha, which the raven quickly broke through, leaping back up onto the high ground he had been on before and gazing down at them, sword glinting in the sun.

Ami got to her feet, wincing, looking up at the boy again, the ache in her chest having nothing to do with the boy's blow.

"Why…?" Naruto asked quietly, before his voice rose to a roar, "_Why don't you get it? Orochimaru's gonna take over your body!_"

"If that's what happens, that's what happens." the Missing-Nin replied coolly, narrowing his eyes. "You still think like a kid, Naruto. My revenge is everything to me. As long as I can exact it, I don't care what happens to me or anyone else."

Naruto was shaking as he tried to get up, falling to the ground again, Sai also quivering.

"Here's the situation; Right now, neither I nor Orochimaru are a match for Itachi. If sacrificing my body to Orochimaru is the only way to kill him, _I'd give up my life a million times over._"

Naruto, Sakura and Ami were dumbfounded.

Yamato got to his feet, the small plank receding back into his body. "Enough talk. Naruto, Sakura, Ami. I had hoped I wouldn't have to injure him in front of you, but I need to get serious now."

''Serious'?' Ami thought, looking at their captain in confusion.

"He's the same as Orochimaru." the man said. "A rogue ninja who deserted the village and can't be allowed to roam free. We are taking him back to Konoha, no matter what!"

"'Konoha'?" the Uchiha scowled, "I've had it with all of you." He stuck his sword in the ground and made several fast hand seals, and his body began to glow with Chakra as he raised an arm. "This is the end." A hand stopped the boy, grabbing his wrist, and Sasuke turned to scowl at the snake-like man looking at him as the blue energy around him faded.

"You _are not_ using that technique, Sasuke-kun." the pale man said firmly, looking very displeased.

Sasuke was clearly just as put out. "_Release me._" he ordered rudely.

"Hey, hey." another voice said, and Kabuto appeared on Sasuke's other side. "You're still using such foul language with Orochimaru-sama?"

"I don't see any reason to stop." the Sharingan-user glared.

"You know what Akatsuki is up to, don't you?"

Sasuke frowned.

"That's why we want Konoha to eliminate them." Kabuto continued, "Even if it's just one. If other Akatsuki members interfere, then you'll have a harder time with your revenge, won't you?"

"That's pathetic." the black-haired boy glowered.

"It's an opportunity to improve your chances, even if by only one per cent. Agreed?"

The boy was silent, but it was clear that he had given up.

"Let's go." Orochimaru said, releasing the boy's arm, which dropped to his side, and the Konoha-Nin stared, stupefied as Sasuke sheathed his sword and vanished in flame along with Orochimaru and Kabuto, never taking his eyes off them.

Their hearts sank as failure hit home.

Naruto began to sob as he curled up in a ball, and Ami let the tears she'd been holding in ever since they had entered the hideout go.

Sakura spoke up, voice shaking. "_Crying… crying won't make Sasuke-kun come back!_" she said, despite the tears flowing down her own face. "I'm here too... we'll get stronger,_ together!_"

"We have about six months left, right?" Sai piped up. "And a team of four is better than three." He smiled. "Besides, I'm pretty strong myself."

The others wiped their eyes and smiled at the boy's comforting words.

"Thanks." Naruto mumbled.

Sai continued to beam and Ami felt the corners of her mouth twitch up a little more as she saw what previously, Naruto had been the only one to observe.

Sai's true smile.

It wasn't so bad.

"Alright." Yamato said.

The group set off for home.

* * *

Having reported their mission, and making it clear to the Hokage that despite their loss, they weren't giving up, the members of Team Seven separated, and Ami went back to the inn. She was ambushed as soon as she entered the door by Aiko with a hug, but refused to tell the girl what was troubling her, only saying that she had to be on standby as the Hokage arranged her next mission.

* * *

'I have to stay at home until I'm called…' she thought, sighing as she shoved Baby off her bed, who responded with a loud yowl and an angry wag of the tail.

The black creature leapt right back up again as soon as Ami leaned back, and sat on her chest as if to say 'You can't make me do _anything_', before headbutting her gently and giving her a sad look.

The girl frowned as she stroked the feline gently. "Sorry Baby…" she whispered, brow furrowing slightly, "He got past us again… We'll definitely get him back though." She gave the cat a small smile. "We don't give up that easily! Also… Sai's becoming more bearable. Oh yeah… you haven't seen him yet, have you? He's working with us until Sasuke comes back." She sat up and moved Baby off her torso. "I have to get my stuff together. I'll be going on another mission soon."

The cat clambered up her clothes and came to a rest on her shoulder.

There was a knock at the door.

It was Sakura.

"Ami! We're all set!" the girl called up. "Our mission's been organized."

"I'll be there in a minute!" the brunette called back, stuffing her things into a bag. 'I'll talk to Sora-sensei when I get back… I need her to train me more. I'm sick of not being able to do anything while Sasuke digs himself further and further into that deep, black hole of hate… There's no way I'll let him knock us away like he did before.'

* * *

After getting back from their short mission the day before, Ami smirked at the earlier memory of Sai trying to give them nicknames, as she watched him ponder what to call Ino, having become interested in the art of making friends.

* * *

Sakura had got 'Ugly', but really, what had she expected when giving a socially-retarded boy 'Stupid Naruto' as an example?

Of course, the rosette still tried to throttle him, as he smiled, trying to make it through the situation of being utterly confused.

They had visited Kakashi after their mission and tried to explain the situation to the man, but as it turned out, Yamato had already explained everything, and he had already come up with a Naruto to get stronger, and even a quick, but effective method for doing it, although it would only be suitable for Naruto.

He would be obtaining the most powerful technique he could, by creating it himself.

However, in the middle of the masked-man's explanation, Team Asuma had entered, with the sensei, Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino following the man in the door or Kakashi's room. Sarutobi Asuma had needed to speak to Kakashi alone about something, and so, he sent the younger shinobi to a barbecue, paid by himself.

* * *

The brunette's eyebrows rose as Sai seemed to decide on a nickname for Yamanaka Ino, who had just introduced herself to him.

"Nice to meet you… umm… Gorgeous."

A blush spread across Ino's face. She seemed to have already taken a liking to the pale boy.

Ami's jaw dropped slightly, whilst Naruto sighed in relief before picking up on the pink-haired girl's mood.

Sakura, of course, was enraged, gnashing her teeth, veins bulging in her head, and leapt for Sai across the table.

"WHY DOES INO GET TO BE GORGEOUS?" she demanded, her roars and rampaging being heard clearly from outside as she beat Naruto and Sai, the former trying to hold her back as she lunged at the latter, Chouji ignoring them all as he stuffed his face with meat.

* * *

Ami sat beside Sakura, flicking through one of the books Sai had brought with him as the pinkette peeled an apple for the raven as Naruto dozed in the other bed.

The boys had ended up in hospital after another mission since the barbecue, and Sakura was currently chastising them for escaping earlier.

* * *

"If you sneak out of the hospital like that again, you'll end up right back here."

Sai chuckled. "This book says that your bonds will deepen if you go to your friends in a pinch." he smiled.

"That's a _manga_." Sakura sighed, "You really take everything at face value when it comes to this, don't you?" She held out the sliced apple on a plate to the boy. "Here."

Sai stared at her.

"What?" Sakura questioned, confused at his gaze.

"I read that a kind girl will feed you in this type of situation. Not that I was testing you." he added.

'So does that make me unkind?' Ami wondered, whilst Sakura sighed heavily.

"_Sakura-chan…_" Naruto moaned, cuddling his pillow, drooling in his sleep. "Sakura-chan, I can't eat anymore… O-okay... I-if you want me to eat it that badly, I can't refuse…"

He opened his mouth wide with an 'Aaah' and Sakura promptly stuffed a whole, unpeeled apple into it.

Kakashi walked in with a 'Yo' and rose a brow at the sight of Naruto choking on the piece of fruit, Sai pondering the meaning of Sakura's actions, the pinkette herself fuming, crushing an apple in her palm whilst exclaiming; 'Oh, _god!_ Why aren't there any _normal_ people on my team?' as Ami peeped over a manga at her, feeling slightly offended.

* * *

However, Asuma soon arrived and took Kakashi away for another talk, but not before leaving a basket of apples with Naruto and Sai.

* * *

Ami's eyebrows rose as the sunny-haired boy pushed off his blankets and began unwrapping the bandages on his legs. "What are you doing and why?" she inquired, as she closed 'How To Strengthen Relationships With Others'.

"I have to continue my training." the boy answered, "I have to get stronger. I'm still too weak. I have to develop a power that won't hurt everyone… So I can protect them. I have to become stronger just to be able to do that."

"Well, don't be in such a rush." Kakashi said, appearing inside the room again. "Right now your training is to finish healing. Especially you, Naruto! I'm warning you. The only thing waiting for you outside is severe training that could put you right back in here, or worse." The masked man narrowed his eyes. "So make sure you're ready for it!"

"Okay… I get it…" the boy winced.

"Sakura. Ami. I've got some stuff to take care of, so please handle things here." Kakashi said. "Be sure not to push yourselves too much. Bye." With that, he walked out with a smile on his face, judging by the single crinkled eye.

* * *

Sora poked her student in the side as they both relaxed in the hot spring baths at the inn, Anzu and Haruka just having gotten out.

"Hey… you okay?" she whispered.

Ami looked up at her teacher silently and shook her head.

"You want to talk about it?"

Ami sighed heavily. "You've probably already heard about it."

Sora was silent a moment, thinking. "Sasuke?" she murmured.

The brunette nodded.

"So what's the problem?"

"Naruto's already gotten out of the hospital and started training." Ami mumbled, "He knows what he's doing, but I have no idea what to try. Sasuke's lightning is so powerful I can't go near him. I want to fix it, but I don't know…" Her eyes widened suddenly as a though struck her.

The girl's teacher tilted her head in curiosity. "Ami?"

"…Actually, I just got an idea. Sensei, can you teach me something?"

Sora's eyebrows lifted.

* * *

"You realize this is going to take a hell of a lot of concentration, hard work, and you'll probably hurt yourself a good few times before it works, don't you?" the raven-haired woman asked, facing her student as they both stood beside the river around the back of the inn.

"Yeah." Ami replied.

"You're still ready?"

"Undoubtedly."

"…Alright, then." The dark-skinned woman grinned at her student. "Remember those words! I like my students with _guts!_"

Ami smirked back. "Gotcha."

"Start with two different wind slices up and down directly in front of yourself, vertically. They have to stay at almost the same distance from you for this to work, only allow enough difference to make sure the layers are separate. It's no good if they run into each other. No moving your hands, either, it has to be mentally-controlled."

The brunette obeyed, though she frowned that she couldn't use her hands, leaking Wind Chakra out into the air, and a weak breeze slowly built up in front of herself.

"It lacks power." the black woman said, "You need to make it stronger. Imagine it more forceful."

The girl tried, but it only slightly strengthened for about a second before dropping back to its previous weakness.

"…I can't help you figure this out faster, so I'll leave you with that for now. You know yourself how strong it has to get. I'll be back in a while to see how you're doing."

"…Understood."

* * *

Sweat was dripping down the girl's face, but she was finally getting the power up, though it was still barely even half of what it needed to be, and she was exhausted.

'I've been at this for three hours…' she thought, panting.

"How you doing?" a voice called, and she looked up, seeing her sensei.

"It's improving… slowly but surely…" she replied, still puffing.

"…Take a break. You're shaking." the woman said, tossing a bottle of water to the girl and sitting down beside a tree, gesturing for Ami to join her.

She did, face flushed, sliding down the bark to the ground beside the older woman.

"…You're still not giving up on him then?"

The young kunoichi shook her head firmly.

"…I see. …You realize that you're being very childish, don't you?"

The brunette snorted. "You're one to talk, with a lunchbox like that."

"Hey! This monkey is _adorable_! You hear me?" the woman exclaimed indignantly, jabbing a finger at the grinning primate, as if to emphasize her point.

Ami grinned. "Yeah, I hear you…"

"…So you're dead-set on this, then?"

"For the thousandth time, _yes_."

"…Ami… why do you want Sasuke back so much? …Are you in love with him?"

The brunette girl leaned back against the tree, sipping the water. "Whether I am or not doesn't matter. All I know is, I miss Sasuke, and I want him back. Whether I love him as a teammate, a friend, or something more doesn't come into play. I want him back, regardless. It's been a long time, I know, but those thoughts haven't changed in the slightest from the day I left to train with you."

"…I see…"

"Sensei?"

"Yes?"

"You've been asking me if I was sure about this all the way through training. …Why do you test me so much?"

The sensei was silent a moment before speaking.

"…Ami …I'm going to tell you something."

The blue-eyed girl watched and listened carefully as her sensei unwrapped the bandages around her legs.

"A long time ago, I had a teammate who ran away, much like Sasuke did. He'd failed the Jounin exam, and took it pretty hard, since he was knocked out first, and a very bad loser. He left the village, and naturally, we tried to get him back. I found him six months later… and he did this to me without a moment's hesitation."

Ami's eyes widened in shock as she looked at the legs of her mentor.

They were heavily scarred with horrific, angry red burns.

"Tsunade managed to heal the other injuries, as thankfully she was on my squad on that particular mission, but he burned my face, my arms, my chest and my back as well. If she wasn't so amazing, I'd be scarred in those places too. …He died a few months later of pneumonia from being caught in the rain. It took six months of being away for him to turn on me like that, when we'd been friends and teammates for years… You and Sasuke knew each other for one year, and now he's been gone for two and a half. …That's why I worry."

"…I see…" the girl mumbled, lost for words.

There was a long silence.

Ami finally broke it.

"Sensei… thank you for telling me that, but I'm still firmly determined. I know I may very well regret it if I go after Sasuke… but I know I'll regret it far more if I don't. If Orochimaru hadn't gone after him and given him…" She froze.

She'd said too much.

"It's alright, I know all about that." the woman said calmly, "Tsunade told me everything. You should be careful in future, though."

"I've _never _let it slip before." the girl said, stunned at her own stupidity, "Not even _once_. I _can't believe I_…"

"Just be glad it was me, and continue with what you were saying."

The brunette nodded shakily. "R-right… Any way, if Orochimaru hadn't give him 'that'… he wouldn't have gone. He preyed on Sasuke's weakness because he wanted the Sharingan… and offered him a chance at something he was sure he wanted so badly he'd give up anything for it. But… there was a time when Sasuke seemed to forget about revenge… but then…-and I only found out about this after he left- Itachi, his older brother who killed the clan, showed up and beat the crap out of him… and mentally tortured him so badly that Sasuke was unconscious in hospital for ages until Tsunade-sama came and healed him, and all the memories and pain and rage came flooding right back to him. I don't believe that Sasuke would have left if he was in a right state of mind. He liked being in Konoha. …He loved it."

Sora looked down at her feet.

"That's where Sasuke and your teammate are different. Your friend left of his own will. Sasuke was lured. That's why I want to get him back. I want him to remember the happiness he's able to have. I want him to realize that he doesn't need revenge. I want him to come back and open his eyes and heart again. I want him to heal."

Sora looked slightly disappointed with her student, but begrudgingly accepting. "…I understand." she murmured.

* * *

The dark-skinned teacher beamed. "Good! You're getting it!"

Ami grinned. Her bangs were flying around her face as the strong gust flapped in front of her, hands down by her sides.

"Now try extending it to over your head as well. Don't sacrifice the power, though."

Ami did, and the wind's strength lowered considerably.

"I said don't weaken it."

"_I know_." Ami said, glaring slightly at the draft, before concentrating a moment, and bringing the power up to gale force again.

Sora smirked. "Nice. Now try making it even longer. Further under your feet, (you will rip up bits of ground, don't be surprised) and higher up over your head. After that, behind your back until you've got a band spinning around you both ways."

Ami nodded, and tried, and gritted her teeth slightly when it weakened again, but eventually got it up. Sweat was beading on her brow.

The teacher nodded slightly, then widened her eyes as Ami quivered when the ground ripped, dust, mud and bits of grass flying up into her face, and the gust behind the girl moved dangerously close to her back.

"_AMI! BEHIND YOU!_"

The girl cried out in pain when her own technique tore into her body, and she dropped the jutsu, tears coming up in her eyes.

The sensei ran forward, checking the wound. "Damn. You did a real number on yourself. We'll need to bandage that. Let's go inside. I'll sort it."

* * *

Ami scowled at the pain in her back as her teacher bandaged the gash up.

"I told you you'd probably hurt yourself sooner or later." the black woman said, tying the wrapping. "You should get it eventually, though. I admire that you're not giving up."

Ami grinned at her teacher. "Having Naruto for a teammate makes you want to try harder."

* * *

The pair decided to continue the training the next day.

"Now that you've been cut, I trust you'll be way more careful in future." the woman said, watching her student carefully as Ami finally got a strong band spinning both ways, slashing into the ground below her, three hours into that day's training.

The brunette nodded, releasing the move. "Now what do I do?"

"I say sideways now. A horizontal belt. Keep up the other one as well though. And once again, keep the power up."

Ami nodded and after a few minutes, got a pair of bands going strong.

"Once you got one, the others became easier, I see." Sora smirked.

Ami grinned, flicking soaking bangs out of her face.

"Now try another band. Have this one circle around you at ninety degrees to the other two, starting at your head, to your sides, to your feet."

"Un!"

* * *

The teacher snickered as she helped Ami in the back door of the dorm a few hours later. "_You're all sweaty!_" she cackled, sitting the girl at the table. "As soon as you're able to stand, go shower! Or you'll stick to the chair!"

Ami chuckled weakly. 'I used so much Chakra…'

"You'll collapse if we train any more." the teacher giggled, poking her student in the head, as the girl was too weak to shove the hand away. "No more today."

* * *

Ami leant on the railing of he annex after showering, wearing a yukata, hair still slightly damp, thoughts a million miles away, when Aiko poked her head around a corner.

"Sis, you have a visitor." she chirped.

"Who is it?" the brunette mumbled.

"He says his name is Sai. He keeps on smiling, but it's a little weird."

The landlady slowly turned around and followed her sibling downstairs, pondering just why the boy would be calling to see her.

* * *

Ami frowned slightly at the sight of him sitting in her kitchen.

She was still a bit weary of the raven.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not bothering to sound pleased, figuring that the boy probably wouldn't even notice.

Sai turned and looked at her blankly, before smiling. "Hello."

"...Hey." the brunette frowned, but her eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise as the artist stood up and bowed politely to her.

"Please come with me." Sai requested, motioning towards the stairs with a hand.

* * *

Ami followed silently as the pale boy lead her through the house, eventually coming to a stop outside her bedroom door.

The girl's brow furrowed. 'He's not going to ask me to whore myself, is he?'

The smiling boy merely motioned towards her door again, and the water-user carefully slid it open, apprehensive of anything set up by the raven.

Her jaw dropped.

It was a painting on her wall; of trees, wildflowers, and herself, standing in the middle of the flora-filled field beside a small lake. It was a bright, cloudless day and sunbeams danced on the water's dancing, crinkled surface, glowing with light as golden hues washed over the image.

"Your sister let me in here to do this. It's my way of apology. Since you seem to dislike me the most right now, I figured I'd do it for you, seeing as Naruto has already forgiven me. If you want to apologize to someone for a large wrong, you should do something to show it, like make something for that person. At least, that's what read in a book." Sai said as the girl continued to gawk at his work, "It's not up to me to criticise Sasuke, and if you want to get him back, I have no right to tell you you're wrong, or stupid, or anything else I may believe you are. Although, I must confess that I now want to get him back as well. I'm sorry for my betrayal. It won't happen again."

The brunette was speechless. It truly was an amazing painting.

"Do you like it?" the black-haired boy asked.

Ami blinked, trying to mold her mouth to say 'thank you', but all she could manage to choke out was; "…I'd like it more if I wasn't naked."

* * *

"You want something to eat?" the girl asked as she brought the pale boy down the stairs back into the kitchen.

"No thank you. I've heard that you burn any food you touch, so I'd rather not. I don't want to be poisoned."

Ami resisted her urge to glare at the boy. He was right, but he didn't have to be quite so blunt. Then again, he was slow when it came to people.

The pet of the dorm came in the door, and froze and bristled, staring at Sai as if to say; 'Who the hell are you and why are you in my house?'

"Careful, she's not always fond of strangers." Ami warned, boiling the kettle for tea.

The raven directed one of his smiles at Baby, who hissed foully in response.

"Hello. I am Sai-" the pale boy began, reaching out to the cat, but the dark creature sprang, almost seeming accelerated by catapult, hitting the male ninja square in the face, going absolutely ballistic, hair and spit flying, Sai shrieking in an exceptionally uncharacteristic fashion as Baby sank her claws into his face, Ami nearly dropping the cup in her hand when she jumped at the racket.

* * *

The dark feline eventually warmed up to Sai, though, and even sat on his lap for a while before vomiting a hairball onto the unfortunate, scratch-covered boy, who later stepped on a dead bird upon exiting the dorm.

* * *

The following day, Ami returned yet again to training, and though her number of self-inflicted wounds had increased, she wasn't deterred.

* * *

"_Ami, that's enough._" Sora warned, grabbing the girl's arm as she went to mold Chakra again, despite her body's quivering. "If you keep this up you will _seriously hurt yourself__.__ No buts. _You're _resting._"

The brunette dropped to the ground, panting, and took a drink from the water bottle she was handed. "S… sorry…" she gasped.

"Just stop being stupid. I _swear_, you'd do it until you were _mince_, if I let you…"

"Ami!" a voice called, and the aforementioned girl turned her head at the sound of her name.

It was Sakura, holding a basket of small brown balls.

"Hey…" the girl replied, coughing.

The rosette put her hands on her hips as Sai came out from behind her. "Geez, I didn't expect you to overdo it… Anyway, here are some soldier pills I made. I gave some to Naruto, too. I'm sure they're what's been keeping him going!"

The brunette smiled as she took one of the golf-ball-sized spheres from the basket. "Thanks… If you made them… then they're bound to be effective."

Sakura watched as her teammate took a bite.

Ami's face instantly paled, and she promptly gagged, spitting the medicine out.

Sakura was highly offended. "_It won't work if you spit it out! And I don't know what you're gagging about, they're better than what you usually make!_"

"_No, these are just as bad, if not worse!_" the brunette yelled back.

"_The best medicines are bitter!_"

"_If that's the case, then this must be the elixir of life, because they're revolting!_"

"_How dare you!_"

"_Dammit Sakura, they taste like the vomit of someone who ate mud! Stop feeding these to Naruto, he'll be sick!_"

"_There's nothing wrong with them!_"

"You _eat one, then!_"

"_Fine! I will!_" the rosette barked, snatching a ball from the basket.

Ami glared at her, waiting and watching as the girl took a bite, then narrowly dodged when Sakura nearly threw up on her head.

* * *

**I had no idea what to call Sasuke's skirt/apron, so I looked it up and found this on a thread about just what this bit of Sasuke's outfit was:**

**'I did a quick search of traditional Japanese clothing and the closest I could find is _haramaki_, which was a belly protector, usually made of silk that encircled the body and was secured with cords or _kusazuri _which was a sectional armoured skirt, part of a samurai's armour.'**

**They said that Kishimoto was probably in the middle of drawing one, but then decided; 'You know what? That looks cool as it is.' and just left it, as often happens with mangaka (people who draw manga).**

**I thought it made sense, and I wasn't having much luck elsewhere, so I went with this description. :)**

**Hope you enjoyed! :D**


	31. Breaks, Masks and Dogs

**Woo! Thank you all for being so patient! Sorry about the delay.**

**Crap is coming in waves at the moment, and I still have barely any free time. ^^;**

**I think some bits might be a little choppy. Hope you enjoy, though! :)**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Breaks, Masks and Dogs

* * *

"Time for a break." Sora sighed, exasperated at her student's stubbornness. "You've already got six belts."

"But I need _more!_"

"If you don't stop to rest, I'll tie you up. _I'm not even joking._"

The brunette growled slightly, but slumped to the ground in defeat, obediently taking a drink and a breather.

"If you get too tired, your concentration will waver, and you'll cut yourself to ribbons." the girl's teacher scolded, "I understand how you feel, but you need to draw the line. You _will_ get this."

"But will I get it before Orochimaru takes Sasuke's body over?" the girl demanded.

"That depends on you. However, if you do this without resting enough, you'll make your skills worse, damage your body, and possibly end up in hospital. You can't be healed with Ninjutsu. You know this, so stop being so foolish."

Ami frowned. Her sensei was right. "…Fine."

"Good."

* * *

Several minutes had passed before Sora spoke again.

"You can start again now." the black woman finally said, and Ami instantly hopped up, bringing up the strips she had so far managed, doing her best to get another going.

* * *

Tired and aching, with just walking being painful from the stress she had put her body under, Ami flopped back onto her futon, looking over at Sai's painting. 'At least he didn't add my birthmark…' she thought, brow furrowing, 'If anyone comments on it though, what the hell do I say? 'Oh, that? My teammate did that for me as a present. …No, I don't know why I'm naked in it. …No, as far as I know, he hasn't ever seen me without clothes. …Well, I guess he used his imagination, didn't he? So, tell you what, let's use ours and just pretend it's not there.' _Seriously_. I can _never_ invite anyone up here again… Why did he have to paint me _nude_? …Ah well, at least he's doing his best to be nice.'

* * *

About three weeks had passed since Naruto and Ami had both begun their training.

Naruto was making progress, as was she, and Ami was proud to say that her technique was practically complete.

All there was left to do was test it.

* * *

"It's looking good." Sora said, reaching into her knife holster, "Let me try something." She flicked a kunai at her student, who grinned from within the spiraling wind belts, which were now so large in number that they formed a sphere around her body as the weapon was easily deflected.

The black woman whistled, before lifting up a large rock, and also chucking that at the girl. The stone bounced off, one side now ground completely flat, having come into contact with the gusts. "Good, good, let's check this next."

The girl's brow furrowed slightly as she felt a tinge of worry in her gut when her sensei picked up a large, spiked mace from amongst some of the weapons she had brought for testing on the little sirocco when it was finished.

"Don't lose focus, okay Ami?" the teacher warned as she began swinging the stake-covered ball around by the chain, then directed it at the brunette, who diverted it as well, sighing slightly in relief when the sphere hit the ground with a dull thud, a few scratches imbedded in the metal. "Well, it doesn't seem to have any problem with weapons or earth… but that's not what you designed it for, is it?"

Ami nodded, knowing what was coming.

"I have a defibrillator set aside in case anything goes wrong." Sora said. "But this is the most dangerous test of all. Are you ready?"

The Chuunin nodded again, not trusting herself to speak lest she end up treating her sensei to the contents of her stomach, courtesy of the discomfort she was currently feeling.

Forming several hand seals, Sora shot Ami's worst fear straight at her.

A bolt of lightning.

The girl's eyes widened and she almost lost her concentration as the electricity flashed before her eyes, hitting the sphere head-on. It lingered a moment, before vanishing.

"Hold off the celebrations for the moment." the sensei said, "That was a weak shock. This one will be much stronger. Be ready for it."

She shot another more powerful thunderbolt at Ami, but the result was much the same, although this one did hang around a little longer before dissipating.

The brunette's face broke out into a beam of joy, as did Sora's.

"_It works!_" she cried jubilantly, releasing the technique.

"Well, then, we should give it a name…"

Ami grinned. "…'Kaze Engo'."

'Wind Guard?' the sensei thought, pondering whether or not she liked the name. "_Yeah!_ That's good!"

A Chuunin jumped down beside them, and the younger kunoichi stopped cheering and watched curiously as they whispered in Sora's ear.

"What is it?" the girl asked, once the shinobi had left.

The woman seemed a little bit lost for words. "Sarutobi Asuma…"

The name rang a bell clear as could be. Ami knew the man. She'd even gone on missions with him and others before, back while Naruto had been away training for those two and a half years. He was Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji's sensei. As the good-natured chain smoker who was always up for a laugh, could nearly always be found playing shoji with Shikamaru and first explained wind techniques to her, Ami was curious as to just what had happened to the kind-hearted man to make her sensei look so dazed. "What about him?"

The black woman was clearly aggrieved. "He…" her voice trailed off.

"He what…?"

"He… _passed away_…"

* * *

After the funeral, Team Kurenai had set off with Kakashi in pursuit of the Akatsuki members that had killed Asuma, and Team Kakashi was to be their back up as long as Naruto completed his technique in the next twenty-four hours. Otherwise, Tsunade would send a different squad.

* * *

Ami packed her bag and set herself up to be ready for the mission. Her wounds had healed, and she was confident with her new technique, (though if anyone was to use fire on it she'd be baked to a crisp). All that was left was for Naruto to finish up.

He was determined not to disappoint.

* * *

The shinobi could feel their heartbeats in their ears as they dashed towards the other ninja, Ino, Chouji, and Kakashi bound with wire-like objects from the Akatsuki's mouth.

Two masks protruded either side of his white-hatted head, one with blue markings and the other with red, out from the thick, hairy mass of strings bursting from the man's dark body, which was covered in ugly stitches, threads waving and wiggling in every rip, even his mouth; a grotesque tear in an inhuman face.

The mouths of the two masks opened and their eyes widened as one mask readied a fire technique and the other a wind.

Naruto and Yamato combined Naruto's new technique and a water jutsu to counter the blast, and hot steam filled the area, sweeping around the dead trees and dry ground.

The blond spoke from within the cloud surrounding them. "Sorry we're late." he said calmly, staring into the Akatsuki's strange, pink, green-irised eyes with blue orbs as hard as steel whilst the breeze blew the mist away, revealing Team Kakashi with Yamato.

"Perfect timing…" the silver-haired sensei sighed.

"Back up… we're saved…" Chouji mumbled, relieved.

"Sakura! Sai-san! Ami! Naruto, too!" Ino beamed.

Sakura nodded towards the blonde with a smile.

Sai allowed himself a small smirk.

Ami had just a teensy bit of a grin on her lips.

Naruto kept his eyes locked on the enemy.

"I've never seen you so beaten up, sensei." Yamato commented, glancing at Kakashi.

"Well, excuse me." the masked man replied sarcastically.

'The enemy must be extremely powerful if Kakashi-sensei is this worn out…' Ami thought, 'And don't the Akatsuki usually work in pairs? Where's the other one?'

"I see we've got another comedian." the enemy commented, wires still swaying in the same orifice the words came from. "You already look worn out."

Ino's eyes widened slightly as she took in the boy's appearance. He was scuffed and scratched all over.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Chouji asked.

"Where's Shikamaru?" the Jinchuuriki asked, ignoring the chubby boy's question.

"He's fighting this guy's partner off somewhere else."

"Two of you go and back Shikamaru up." Kakashi ordered. "One long-range fighter and one medical ninja."

Sai and Sakura exchanged glances and nodded at each other as Kakashi summoned one of his Ninja Hounds, Pakkun.

"What do you think your reinforcements will do for you?" the Akatsuki asked. "Now I have a wider variety of hearts to chose from."

"I'll handle him." Naruto said, stepping forward, eyes blue, but slit.

Pakkun ran and the Sai and Sakura followed him into the forest towards Shikamaru.

Naruto made a seal and two clones appeared.

Kakuzu, the enemy ninja, narrowed his eyes. "Kage Bunshin… I see, you're the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.

"Please brief us on the enemy's abilities and the situation." Yamato said.

Ami listened carefully, as did Naruto.

"We're up against two members of Akatsuki. Shikamaru is fighting one, as I said before. The other one is standing right in front of us. He's able to split off parts of his body. Both of those masked creatures can be detached as necessary. Each of them has its own heart and is able to maneuver on its own. Originally, he had five hearts. We've destroyed two of them, so he's down to three, now."

"What…?" Yamato asked, raising a brow.

"Basically, we've killed him twice already, and we have to kill him three more times to beat him. He's a mid-range fighter and can use high-level techniques of every element."

'So that's the level of an Akatsuki…' Ami thought.

"Naruto!" Yamato cried.

"_I heard him loud and clear!_" on of the boy's clones yelled, running for the man with the other bunshin in tow.

"_You can't just attack him head-on!_" Ino cried.

The blond shinobi were quickly tangled in black tentacles and both vanished with bangs.

Ami stared as Naruto made three clones, who formed a Rasengan between them.

It wasn't just the usual sphere of Chakra, though.

There was something different. This one made noise almost like screeching of metal, and span far faster and stronger.

'That's Wind Chakra…' Ami realized, 'Naruto's wind-natured. Rasengan was powerful, but… that technique… it must be at least _S-rank._'

Pieces of rock were lifting into the air with the power of the air currents around the boy, and four huge blades of pure Chakra were spinning around the sphere.

"_Fuuton; Rasen-Shuriken!_"

The three clones and their original ran at the man, the real Naruto at the back with the new technique rotating in his palm. Chouji went to back the boy up, but Yamato stopped him, warning that he would get caught in the blast.

The three clones whipped out kunai and surrounded the man in a flash, but each was either burned to ash with fire by one mask, sliced to pieces with wind by the other, or stabbed with the hairy extremities protruding from Kakuzu's back. However, the original took advantage of the man's distraction and brought the new Rasengan near the Akatsuki's chest in what could have been a direct hit.

However, at the last second, he lost it, and the technique vanished from his hand.

Kakuzu bound the boy and began pulling him towards him with dark tentacles as the blond tried to flee, but Naruto was swiftly rescued by Kakashi and Yamato, the wood-user distracting the man with a Mokuton attack and the masked sensei slicing through the cords with a Raikiri.

Yamato chased the man with several columns of wood, but missed.

Ino sighed slightly, though she was relieved at the whiskered boy's rescue, and said to herself "Acting tough and screwing up… I guess that was pretty Naruto-ish."

"Since it was called 'Rasen-Shuriken', or whatever, I thought you'd throw it at him. Do you have to get in his face and punch him with it?" Chouji asked.

"_Hey! If I hit him there'd be nothing left!_" Naruto barked indignantly.

Considering the strength of the technique, it wasn't in the least bit doubtful.

"Yes, it's called the Rasen-Shuriken, but it only works as a point-blank attack." Yamato clarified, as Naruto sat, sulking on the ground. "That's why its use relies on Kage Bunshin as a diversion."

"He still hasn't had enough training time." Kakashi said, "If it had lasted a couple more seconds…"

"Exactly."

"It won't work now." Ami grumbled, "That guy has probably already decided what to do to avoid it."

Naruto got to his feet. "One more time. Let me try one more time. _I'll finish him with my new technique._"

"You're going up against Akatsuki!" Ino said, brow furrowed, "If you do the same thing again, he'll just dodge it!"

"It won't work. He knows what you're doing." Ami warned, eyes locked on the deformed being before them.

"We need to fight together." Chouji said.

"That's right." Kakashi said quietly, "Currently its five against one. There's no need to cross a dangerous bridge like that."

Naruto clenched his fists. "…Kakashi-sensei. Do you remember what you told me when I was training? 'The only shinobi who can surpass the Fourth Hokage is you. That's what I believe.'"

Ami's eyebrows lifted in surprise. 'Naruto's improved, certainly, but does sensei really think that? The Yondaime was quite a man, but having seen that technique… I'd say it's possible.'

"I know that teamwork is important. I also know that this is a dangerous bridge to cross. Even so… I want to cross that bridge alone. If I can't make it to the other side, I'll never be able to grow up. So _please_, _please_ don't burn that bridge just yet."

There was a short silence.

"Yamato, what do you think?" Kakashi asked.

"You still haven't noticed, huh?" the man smirked, "This is a completely new Naruto."

"…That settles it, then. Go, Naruto."

"Right!" the boy said, tightening his hitae-ate and stepping towards Kakuzu, stalling when the mass of the hair on the man's body increased, spewing from his mouth and the rips in his shoulders, the strings wiggling from within the tears in his arms receding and stitching themselves back up, as the wiry fur formed several long, swaying thickness' of rope. His white headgear flew off and brown hair fell around his face as he glared hard at the Konoha shinobi.

'_This guy's an absolute freak of a monster!_' Ami thought to herself, horrified at the sight and aura of their foe.

"It's not just shape-shifting." Yamato warned, "He's drawing up a huge amount of Chakra!"

"It must be to counter Naruto's technique." Kakashi said.

The blond, eyes still slit, made a seal and brought up three clones again, who quickly made a second Rasen-Shuriken, dashing at Kakuzu who came forward to meet them, before leaping high over their heads, towards the boy with the screeching jutsu in his hand. The eyes of the boy's teammates widened in horror as the man stabbed their friend with his dark cords.

However, the blond then vanished in a bang of smoke, and Kakuzu received a direct hit from above with a third Rasen-Shuriken.

The others gaped at the pure destructive force of the technique as the Akatsuki went flying through the air like a rag doll, the spinning technique ripping his body to pieces and turning the masks to dust, bringing up huge dust clouds as a hurricane ripped through the air.

Naruto laid on the ground, panting, clones long dispelled.

Gaping at the massive crater in the earth that her friend had created, the deformed enemy collapsed in the middle, Ami couldn't help but feel useless in contrast to the boy.

The blond was helped up by Ino and Chouji as Kakashi went down and finished off the last of Kakuzu's hearts with a Raikiri to the chest, and just a few moments later, Sakura and Sai returned with Shikamaru, who was tired, sweaty, and low on Chakra, but completely uninjured.

* * *

The teams had reported to Tsunade, who told them to rest up after their mission. Naruto, however, had injured his arm, and so, along with it having been given emergency treatment, the boy was sent to the hospital to have it checked, Sakura being the one to examine him.

The rest of them headed home.

* * *

"I'm back." Ami called as she stepped in the door, slipping off her shoes.

Aiko came trotting in from the kitchen, a wide grin on her face and a cucumber covered in Saran wrap in her hand.

The elder sister eyed the plastic-covered fruit with a raised eyebrow as she cuddled her sister.

Upon releasing her, Aiko noticed the look and grinned, wagging the food item in the air as she explained; "I'm making cinnamon rolls and I don't know where the rolling pin is."

"Oh. I see."

"How was your mission?"

Ami frowned slightly as she thought of how she hadn't even gotten to do anything. "…Alright. We got it done, none of us died, et cetera. How have things been here?"

Haruka-san's been on a mission the last few days, and Anzu-san has a hole in her wall."

"A _hole_? How big?"

"I can climb through it."

"…Big, then. Which wall?"

"The one between your room and hers."

"How did it happen?"

"We're not sure. She might be sleepwalking."

"…Right."

"Want tea?" Aiko asked, as Ami sat at the table, nodding in response as she simultaneously tried to think of how to fix the cavity of mysterious origin in the wall and watched Baby attempt to jump on the counter and miss. Twice.

* * *

Sitting in Ichiraku ramen with Naruto, Sai, Sakura and Ami watched as the blond tried to eat with his chopsticks using his left hand, as his right arm was all bandaged.

"Eating with my left hand is really hard…" the boy complained.

Sakura moved her stool closer towards him and smiled at the whiskered boy. "I guess I've got no choice. Give me your chopsticks."

The blond stared at his pink-haired teammate, eyes wide, a blush dusting his cheeks at the thought of being fed by Sakura, but was abruptly yanked from his thoughts when Sai poked him in the side of the face with ramen held in the wooden eating utensils, accidentally dripping the hot soup on his face.

"Here. Open up. Aaah…"

Naruto raised his good arm, ready to strike the boy, but was stopped by Sakura, who grabbed the appendage and held it from moving.

"_You're_ not supposed to do that!" the boy barked, snapping a pair of chopsticks in his fist.

Sai was bewildered. "Huh?"

Kakashi poked his head in the restaurant. "Hey, there."

"'Huh,' my ass!" Naruto yelled, spit flying from his mouth, hitting Sai and even Ami, who was on the raven's other side, ignoring the sensei completely. "And here Sakura-chan was going to feed me!"

"You're supposed to help a friend when they're in trouble. That's what a true friend does. It said that in a book."

"Now, see here! Read the situation before you read the damned book! Read the _situation!_"

"How am I supposed to read something I can't see?"

"_GRAAAGH! YOU'RE A PAIN IN THE ASS!_"

"Looks like you've got a problem." the masked man said, scratching his head.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, not having noticed the man beforehand, "Naruto can't use his right hand, so he was getting a bit worked up over who would feed him."

Ami nearly snorted as she wiped her cheek. 'A '_bit_'?'

The masked man sat down, picked up a bit of Naruto's ramen in his chopsticks and held it up to the boy. "Here! Eat up!" he smiled, eye crinkling.

Naruto groaned, but obeyed, and the bowl was soon finished.

"Come to think of it, it's unusual for us to finish a big mission and you not be bed-ridden in hospital, isn't it, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura piped up.

The man cringed, ego deflating slightly. "So that's what you think of me… I'm really… _shocked_… Well, I didn't have to use Mangekyou Sharingan this time, so… There's no doubt that I would have had to use it again if you guys hadn't shown up when you did. I would have ended up in bed, just like you thought." The man chuckled slightly, then became solemn as he looked at Naruto's depressed and troubled expression. "Naruto."

The boy looked at him, but didn't lift his head.

"You've definitely become strong."

The boy turned a little further towards the Jounin.

"You've become as strong as me, if not stronger. But remember the more powerful the technique, the higher the risk to the user."

The boy looked away again, barely nodding.

"…Naruto, about that new jutsu-"

"Kakashi-sensei. …I know about my own body better than anyone else!" the boy grinned. "I'm going to become Hokage one day! I'm really awesome, so there's no need to worry!"

Sakura sighed, a small smile playing on her lips.

Ami wasn't sure how to feel about the boy's words.

Did he mean them? Did he not?

Was he telling the truth? Was he lying?

Was he right? Or was he deluded?

She didn't know.

* * *

Exiting the ramen shop, Kakashi babbling in shock as Sakura proclaimed that he would be the one to pay, Team Kakashi's younger members were met with the sight of the Third Hokage's grandson and practically Naruto's disciple, Konohamaru, along with a clone.

"So you've finally mastered Kage Bunshin." Naruto said, smirking, "Well then, show me how much you've improved!"

"Here I go, Naruto-niichan!" the pair said in unison, moving closer together, each making a seal.

Naruto beamed, Sakura gaped, Ami cringed, and Sai stared blankly as the young boy and his clone transformed into two young, curvy, big-busted women, holding each other in a rather _erotic_ pose, winking and smiling at them as they giggled; 'Oiroke Onna no Ko Doushi no jutsu' simultaneously.

"_OOH! WOW! YOU'RE DOING THAT!_" Naruto exclaimed, cheeks red, even his tonsils visible with the hugeness of his grin.

"Konohamaru dispelled the henge and cackled. "Take _that_, Niichan!"

Sakura screeched in horror beside him, before stomping forward and punching Konohamaru in the gut, dispelling the bunshin. "_You two had better not be doing this sort of thing every time you see each other!_" she barked at Naruto, who stammered a reply.

"Ah… N-no, you see this technique can be used as a diversion too… and this is… uh… shall we say… a serious competition between us…"

Konohamaru glared up at the girl.

"Don't go about escalating this between the two of you!" the pinkette shouted, "You _pervs!_ Only people like you would fall for something like this!"

Konohamaru formed a seal, and repeated the technique, with one small difference.

It was two men.

"Oiroke Otoko no Ko Doushi no jutsu."

Naruto was horrified, as Sakura squealed in excitement, blood dripping out of her nose, and Ami gaped in shock, cheeks ablaze and dribbling slightly. Kakashi looked as though he had just thrown up a little behind his mask. Sai however, had the emotional range of a turnip as he stared, stating; 'Oh. It's me and Sasuke-kun.' as if he were remarking on the weather whilst he looked on at himself and the ninja he was filling in for; Sasuke advancing, himself on the bottom, reaching up to touch the other boy's lips, both completely naked in the middle of the street.

Sakura gasped, shocked at her perverted outburst as soon as her mind snapped back to reality.

Naruto smacked the original of the transformed boy over the head, dispelling the jutsu, shouting indignantly. "_Don't make me look at something so nasty!_"

"Y-yeah!" Sakura said, futilely trying to sweep her earlier actions under the rug, "Don't just keep making up those useless jutsu, and train at something more useful…" she trailed off upon noticing the way the males were looking at her. "_N-no! I don't like that sort of thing! Not at all!_"

"You're just the same as us." Konohamaru smirked.

"…Ami." Sai piped up, "You're drooling quite a lot. Would you like a tissue?"

The brunette quickly wiped her mouth on her sleeve and turned towards the raven to reply, trying to fight down her blush, but the colour merely increased as she looked at his face, the spectacle from earlier flashing through her mind.

* * *

It had been two weeks since teams Kakashi and Asuma had returned from the mission with the two immortal Akatsuki.

Ami had just returned from a mission with Hinata, Kiba and a few others, and Tsunade had summoned her almost immediately.

She had felt slightly worried at the tone in Sakura's voice when the pinkette had delivered the message of her being called in.

Naruto, Ami and Sakura stood before the Hokage and Shizune with the little pink pig in her arms as each of the members struggled to get their heads around the information they had just been told.

* * *

Sasuke had killed Orochimaru.

* * *

But he wasn't returning to Konoha.

* * *

Ami was torn between two ways to feel.

On one hand, she was relieved that Orochimaru couldn't take over the Uchiha's body, but on the other hand, if he wasn't with Orochimaru, where _was_ he?

According to a source of Jiraiya's, he was currently traveling with a few party members he had picked from some of Orochimaru's hideouts, to god knows where, most likely searching for Akatsuki, and hence, Itachi, in order to get revenge.

* * *

Team Kakashi's goal was clear.

To find Sasuke by finding his brother before he did.

They had to find and capture Uchiha Itachi.

* * *

"So, you have no idea what to do when and if you find Uchiha Itachi?" Sora asked, watching looking at Ami carefully as the girl sipped he tea quietly.

"Kakashi-sensei is sorting it out."

"…He's far more powerful than Orochimaru now."

"I know."

"Do you think you can handle him?"

"Alone? Don't know. With others? Don't know."

"Do you realize that he'd probably feel no hesitation if it came to killing you?"

"We don't know that for sure, but it has crossed my mind and I've taken it into account."

"Yet you're still going after him?"

"Yes. I already explained this to you."

"…You're a stubborn cow."

"Yes. I am."

"…And you already have all your stuff ready for the mission?"

"Yes."

"…So when do you go?"

A kunai whizzed in through the window, embedding itself in the side of a cupboard, a small piece of paper attached.

Ami stood up and made her way over to it, unfolding the note and reading it.

"…Tomorrow morning."

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, Ami, Sai, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Kakashi and Yamato.

* * *

That was who they had, standing just outside the gates, Tsunade and Jiraiya bidding them farewell as rain fell around them, the assigned shinobi dressed in waterproof cloaks.

Ami couldn't help but admire just how much Akamaru had grown. Having used to sit on Kiba's head, the canine could now carry the boy on his back with ease. That was impressive in three years.

"Hey, shouldn't we have more people than this?" Naruto asked.

"It's not a matter of manpower." Kakashi replied, "In this situation, we shouldn't have more than one team of two platoons. While assuming our target is a squad of two people, having more than three squads would make us easily detectable, make giving orders hard, and lower our mobility."

"There are techniques designed for capturing, rather than killing." Jiraiya said, "As for coordinating the squads, it's smarter to pick people who are used to working together."

"Well, for now, this is the best that we have." Tsunade said.

"You have my thanks." Kakashi said, bowing his head slightly, before mumbling to himself; "Though, I'd like better weather than this now that we're moving out."

"Right! Let's get going!" Naruto yelled.

"Rain is perfect for cooling down the ones who are getting fired up." Kiba smirked.

"Then, I hereby assign you the mission of locating and capturing Uchiha Itachi!" Tsunade ordered, "Be careful and watch each others' backs out there!"

* * *

The group came together on a tiled roof a little outside of Konoha, red bird statues on either end of the apex, and listened up as Kakashi explained the situation and plan.

* * *

"Our mission to find Itachi and bring him in begins now." the masked man said, a chorus of 'Understood's and a series of nodding following his words. "Akatsuki is after the Bijuu, and we have reason to believe that they've obtained the Sanbi."

Ami's brow furrowed. 'The Three-Tails…'

"According to Jiraiya-sama's data, they may have already infiltrated the Fire Country, targeting Naruto."

Ami glanced at the blond Jinchuuriki, noting Sakura doing the same out of the corner of her eye.

"Itachi is from Konoha. Three years ago, he returned to the village in an effort to capture Naruto."

"So… he'll be returning to Konoha again?" Sai queried.

"So will Sasuke-kun when he comes looking for Uchiha Itachi." Sakura said.

"Yeah. I'm gonna find Sasuke no matter what it takes." Naruto said.

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Yamato said, stepping forward.

"Here's the plan." Kakashi said, "This will serve as our first center point. We'll do a five kilometre search in every direction. If we don't find anything, we'll establish a new centre point and repeat the process. And so on and so forth."

"_Five kilometres?_" Sakura exclaimed, brow furrowed, "Our radios will be out of range. If we split up, it'll be too dangerous! It's the rules that all patrols are made up of two-man cells! If we were to make contact with the enemy-!"

"Sakura, don't get so stressed." Yamato said calmly.

"Pay attention." Kakashi said, before summoning his Nin-Dogs.

Pakkun smiled. "Our voices that can reach farther than a radio, and our noses that can detect danger in an instant, are at your command."

Ami sighed slightly in relief.

"Now, on to the patrol formations." Kakashi said. Every member will be accompanied by two Nin-Dogs. Be nice, all of you."

Two dogs walked over to Sakura.

"Nice to meet you, Sakura-chan."

"You're a harsh-looking female, aren't you?"

The girl's temple throbbed.

Another pair walked over to Shino.

"I'm going with Shino."

"You stink of bugs."

"…You stink of dog." the boy replied, eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.

A pair walked over to Sai.

"Let's work together."

"In peace and harmony."

'I wonder if I should try to become friends with a dog?'

Ami bowed slightly when a large dog (though not the largest) lumbered over to her, trying not to think about how easily it could rip her leg off as it bowed back, a little wiener-dog following in its shadow, practically buzzing with excitement.

"Nice to meet ya." the larger canine said, deep voice almost sounding like a growl in his throat.

Ami couldn't understand what the second was saying, he was babbling so quickly, (she hoped he'd shut up soon) but quickly gave a polite reply, before learning that their names were, respectively; 'Dai' and 'Haru'.

"What about me?" Naruto demanded.

"Naruto, you're the Jinchuuriki they're after." Kakashi said, gazing lazily at the blond. "Just in case you were to be involved in a battle, you'll be paired with Yamato and our scout, Hinata."

"Along with Big Bark Bull." Pakkun smirked, as the largest dog that was the same size as the boy came over, barking powerfully once in confirmation of his identity.

"Kiba and I both have one dog already, since we're both Nin-Dog Shinobi." Kakashi said.

"So then, we're okay!" the boy grinned, red triangle tattoos twitching slightly with his grin.

"Listen up, everyone. First and foremost, you'll be tracking the scents of Sasuke and Itachi. If you are to locate either one of them, mark their location and returned here. Especially you, Naruto. Don't go running off ahead of us."

"Understood."

"Right. Let's move out!"

They scattered.

* * *

**No, I didn't make up the part with Konohamaru turning into two guys. XD**

**It's canon.**

**It wasn't in the anime, but it was in the manga. I just found it too funny to leave out. :)**

**By the way, does anyone else find Yuukimaru kind of irritating? The word 'tsubaki' (camelia) and the verb 'kaeru' (to return) are burned into my mind for all eternity. Not that I'm complaining about that, it's actually quite helpful to me. I often use Naruto to help me remember words via pictures and lines and practice my kanji by reading signs and posters and the like. It's just that he's so repetitive… -_-**

**Also, on a random note, whenever Deidara screams 'katsu' I think of a load of cats going mad and running all over the place while he chases them, roaring like a nut.**

**I'm probably alone in my mental imagination, though. XD**

* * *

**Oiroke Onna no Ko Doushi no jutsu - Girl on Girl technique**

**Oiroke Otoko no Ko Doushi no jutsu - Guy on Guy technique**


	32. Scents, Hellos and Attacks

**_IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END SO MAKE SURE YOU READ IT_.**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Scents, Hellos and Attacks

* * *

Traveling through dense forest with Kakashi's two dogs, Ami gaped at the easily ten-kilometre wide explosion in the distance.

She rushed towards the source of the disturbance as the white beam of light dissipated and dust and smoke took its place, hoping to god that Sasuke hadn't been in there.

* * *

She soon met up with the others at the wide crater, who had also been moving towards the site of the destruction.

Naruto and Yamato were the last ones to arrive, dashing towards them, capes flying out behind them.

"What happened here?" the blond called.

"There are signs that indicate that Sasuke-kun was here not too long ago." the pinkette reported, and Naruto's eyebrows rose as he listened.

"It's faint, but I can smell Sasuke." Kiba said, "There also seems to be the scents of a few other guys."

"What does that mean?" the whiskered boy asked.

"Based on the damage to the terrain, I'd say there was a battle here." Shino said.

"As expected." the gray one of Sakura's dogs piped up, "One of the scents here belongs to whoever was carrying it into town earlier. In any case, it seems that Sasuke has someone traveling with him. An accomplice."

"Then, back then…" Sakura mumbled to herself, thinking back to when her dogs had smelt Sasuke whilst walking through the town, realizing that one of the people there was carrying the scent, but wasn't Sasuke.

"It looks like Sasuke… formed his own group." Kakashi said, brow furrowed, "The other scent that's here belongs to a member of Akatsuki - a man by the name of Deidara."

Ami's brows lifted in surprise. "I thought we killed him; When he blew himself up and you sucked him into another dimension?"

"Looks like he faked his own death to escape us." the sensei replied, "Akatsuki travel in two-man cells, so there are three cells left. Sasuke travels in a four-man cell."

"It doesn't matter how many there are." Naruto said firmly, "Right now, we need to trace Sasuke's scent!"

"We can't." Pakkun said.

"_Why not?_"

"The scent ends here." Kakashi explained.

"What does that mean?" the blond barked.

Kiba formed a seal, closing his eyes.

Yamato spoke up. "In cases like this, there are two options. He was either blown to bits by the explosion, or he used a Space-Time Ninjutsu to escape."

"Jikuukan Ninjutsu?" the Jinchuuriki questioned.

Kiba's eyes snapped open. "Looks like the that's the case. Right now, my nose has a greater sense of smell than a dog's. _I've found Sasuke._"

"Lead the way." Naruto ordered.

* * *

The Inuzuka raced ahead, riding on Akamaru's back. "There's no mistake! It's this way! Judging by his scent, he's not currently on the move. They must be resting!"

"This is our chance, then, isn't it?" Kakashi said, face hardening.

Ami felt apprehension rising in her chest as they got closer and closer to the Missing-Nin that was once their teammate. If they were resting, that meant that they were tired, and if they were tired, capturing Sasuke would be easier.

* * *

They were traveling through trees now.

"Kiba! How's it going?" Naruto asked.

"_I'm focusing as hard as I can on what little is left of Sasuke's scent! Stop disturbing me and let me concentrate!_"

A few minutes later, the brunette boy looked confused.

"What is it, Kiba?" Naruto asked.

"This is bad! Sasuke's on the move!"

"_We have to speed up, then!_" Ami barked. "_He's probably going after Itachi!_"

"_Hold on! Something's not right!_" the Nin-Dog user exclaimed, "_Sasuke's scent is splitting up! It's going off in a lot of directions!_"

"They must have noticed we're following them, so they're using a diversion." Kakashi said.

"They noticed us? How?" Sakura questioned.

"I'm not quite sure what their abilities are, but he must have a powerful Chakra-sensing shinobi on his side." the masked man rationalized.

Ami cursed under her breath. 'Those _exist_?'

"The distances are too great, so we can't use the radios!" Kiba yelled. "I'm the only one who can track him, but I can only go after one scent! What should we do?"

"_I'll look everywhere, even if I have to go through every single blade of grass!_" Naruto yelled, forming his favourite seal, and bringing up about fifty of his shadow clones, all of which went in different directions as Kiba focused on one of the scents and they started to chase it down, Naruto racing on ahead.

* * *

Ami sighed slightly in exasperation as the boy vanished from their sight for perhaps the third time in the last five minutes.

After about thirty seconds, they found him, seeming slightly ruffled, standing down on the ground.

"You alright?" Kiba queried.

"Yeah… I just tripped." the blond said, "Anyway, Kiba… let's track the next scent."

Ami glared slightly at the sight of a bird with a piece of white cloth tied to its leg. "Kiba, is that how they're messing with us?" she asked, pointing at the feathered creature.

The feral-eyed boy frowned as he sniffed. "Yeah. That's it alright."

The girl clicked her tongue in annoyance. 'They tied pieces of Sasuke's clothing to a bunch of birds to confuse us...'

* * *

They went after another spoor, and a few minutes later, Naruto's eyebrows lifted and he stopped.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"The Southern Forest had nothing but dummies…" the blond said quietly.

"So?" Kiba asked. "Wasn't it your Ninja Way to never give up?"

"Yeah." Ami said, "Come on. Sai's searching from above, and we're bound to find Sasuke sooner or later."

"All right!" the Jinchuuriki agreed, determination seeming to return to him, "I'm going to use the Chakra I've recovered to increase the number of Kage Bunshin!"

He did exactly that, bringing up several clones which all scattered, searching.

They set off again, and about ten minutes had passed before Naruto's eyes widened again and he barked "_Found him!_"

Sakura and Ami's hearts leapt in their chests.

"_Way to go!_" Kiba praised. "_Where?_"

"_This way!_" the whiskered boy declared, jumping towards the left.

* * *

They followed the boy for almost a mile, before Hinata cried out a warning as they leapt across several huge, fallen, moss-covered trees.

* * *

"_Everyone! It's this way!_" the blond yelled, either ignoring or not hearing Hinata's call to him.

"_Wait, Naruto-kun!_"

A man in Akatsuki robes popped up in front of them, yelling a squawky '_Hello!_', effectively scaring the piss out of Naruto, who fell back off the tree.

His face was hidden by a swirly orange mask with only one eyehole in the right-hand side. Spiky black hair poked out from behind the vizard and Ami glared at the sound of the man's voice.

"_Oh, my, my, my! Hello there! Hello, hello, hello!_" he giggled.

It was high and immensely irritating.

"I never imagined that I'd meet up with Konoha all the way out here!" the stranger laughed, as Sai came to land beside the other leaf ninja, "And there's two, four, six… It's nine against one, that's just not fair!"

"According to that robe… you must be a member of Akatsuki." Yamato called.

"Although he's not on the list of Akatsuki members we got from Kabuto." the silver-haired Jounin said.

"That's because I'm new!" the orange-masked man laughed, sounding as though he were a child boasting about being in some sort of 'cool' club, "It's nice to meet you!"

"Don't make us laugh!" Kiba sneered, "We don't have time for this!"

"Don't be rash." Kakashi commanded, "Just observe him for now. He's outnumbered, so the advantage is ours."

"What's that…? Am I being… underestimated?" the stranger asked airily.

Ami gritted her teeth. '_God_, this _git_ is irritating.'

One of Naruto's Kage Bunshin flew down from above, Rasengan spiraling in his hand. "_Get out of our fucking way!_"

"_A Kage Bunshin?_" the man cried, before yelling in pain as Naruto's Rasengan… went _right through _him. "Just kidding."

Naruto's eyes were wide with shock, but the clone sprang off a tree branch and turned back towards the Akatsuki, who was flying down towards him.

"You're too full of yourself!" the Akatsuki yelled, belting a kick across the bunshin's face, knocking him back against the original, who landed in a pond, but got back up again instantly. "What's a brat like you going to do?"

"Hinata." Sakura said, distracting the white-eyed girl who had been watching Naruto, worried for his safety, "Naruto can take care of himself. Keep your eyes on the enemy."

"What's this now? Are you trying to analyze my abilities?" the freak queried, "You Konoha people sure are cunning! But, I'm pretty good for a new guy, eh?" He laughed goofily.

"He dodged every one of Naruto's attacks." Yamato said.

"It's as if he's toying with us, but what's his purpose?" Kakashi wondered.

"So, what game shall we play now, Konoha-Nin?" the man asked playfully.

"We don't have time to screw around with you." Naruto growled.

"That's right." Sakura agreed.

"Why? It's because we need to stay on Sasuke's trail." Shino said calmly.

"Shino!" Kiba called, "You weren't there the last time we were on a mission to retrieve Sasuke! We're counting on you!"

"Al right! Everyone, let's end this!" Kakashi decided, exchanging a nod with Yamato.

"Formation B!" the wood-user called.

Everyone voiced their understanding.

"_Ooh!_ Looks like you're getting serious now!" the stranger called gleefully, beginning to stretch, as though doing a warm up before a football game, "Guess I'll get serious too, then!"

"_Don't fuck around!_" Naruto barked at the man.

"Naruto! Concentrate on the formation." Sakura reminded him, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah… I know." the blond growled.

"Let's go, then. Kiba? You ready?"

"Anytime." Akamaru barked in agreement.

Sakura grabbed hold of Naruto's arm and swung the boy around, before releasing him, high up into the air.

"Uwaaa!" the masked Akatsuki said, awed, "He sure flew high! Wait-!"

Sakura, Ami, Kiba and Akamaru were now surrounding the man, Hinata, Shino, Sai, Kakashi and Yamato running away.

"_They distracted me with a decoy and then surrounded me! That's not fair! I don't know who to dodge!_"

He moved out of they way of every attack they made.

"Four against one? You Konoha people are cowards!"

A scream came from above. "_Rasengan!_"

"_Wait! You weren't the decoy? Ya got me-!_"

Naruto destroyed the large tree branch with the spiraling ball of Chakra, but the Akatsuki was nowhere to be seen.

"_Not!_" the man giggled, springing from inside the wood and kicking splinters into Naruto's face.

He extended a finger. "Ninpou; Tousenbou no jutsu!"

Ami scowled as the man vanished from view. She couldn't sense his water. "He's gone! Let's meet up with the others!"

They quickly found their teammates, the mysterious Akatsuki standing before them, just in time to hear Kakashi say; "Unless we defeat this guy, he's not going to let us through."

"Well, well? What do you want to play next?"

"_We don't have time to screw around like this!_" Naruto snarled.

"I know." Yamato said, "Next, we'll proceed with battle formation A."

Kiba and Akamaru ran for the stranger and Yamato attacked the man with several beams of wood, the Akatsuki dodging between them as Akamaru transformed into Kiba and they both attacked with their jutsu, Gatsuuga. Naruto followed behind and thrust a Rasengan into the man's chest, but slipped straight through, just as he had before.

"_You're mine!_" Yamato yelled, sending several timbers that sprouted from the ground towards the man, catching him in a choke hold.

Suddenly, the Akatsuki vanished from between the lumbers, appearing on the bottom of a tree branch, rubbing his neck. "I'm really flexible, you see?" he giggled, before his voice dropped to a tone that reminded Ami of a small dog that had just become rather pissed off. "Now to fight back!" He made a seal. "_Hidden jutsu!_"

"_Naruto, Kiba, retreat!_" Kakashi warned, and the boys instantly obeyed.

The orange masked man's cloak fell down around his head as he still hung upside down. "_Frill-Necked Lizard!_" he cried.

Ami kept her eyes on the man, resisting the urge to facepalm at the daft-looking imitation as she watched for any possible hidden moves.

The Akatsuki seemed to blush as he rubbed his neck awkwardly. "That's all there is to this jutsu." he giggled shyly.

It took all the self-restraint the brunette had to deny the urge to smack her own forehead in frustration.

Naruto clenched his jaw as he glared up at the man. "He's toying with us…"

"This formation didn't work either…" Yamato mumbled, troubled, "He skillfully dodged all of our techniques…"

"Kakashi-sensei…" Hinata piped up shyly.

"Yeah… I know." the silver-haired Jounin replied.

"Naruto… our formation attack was timed dead on, right?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah." the blond replied.

He should have taken a direct hit! How did he evade it?" the dog-user growled.

"…We probably did hit him." the whiskered boy said quietly, "It was the same as when I first hit him with my Rasengan. I was sure I hit him…"

"In other words," Shino spoke up, "He made it look like he evaded it, when in reality, he allowed you and your jutsu to slip right through his body. Is that what you're saying Naruto?"

Naruto looked as though the bug-user had just asked him to explain the meaning of life, why toast always landed with the buttered side down and which came first; the chicken or egg, all at once.

Kiba scowled. "Cripes, Shino! It's hard to get what you're saying!"

"I understand him perfectly." Ami couldn't help but chip in, feeling slightly sorry for the unfortunate hooded boy.

"Maybe it's a clone?" Sakura suggested, "Or some kind of Genjutsu that makes you see illusions or visions?"

"Well, when I was near him, he definitely had water in him." Ami said, "I don't know about when he let the Rasengan through him, though."

"I-I thought so too, so I used my Byakugan to increase my field of vision and checked the Chakra." Hinata said quietly, "The only Chakra I detected is the one where he is."

The Akatsuki ran up onto the top of the branch.

"Kakashi-senpai, what do you think?" Yamato asked.

"No doubt." the Jounin replied, "That's some unique jutsu only he possesses. Which makes it a real bother, but… _Shino._"

"Understood." the boy said, bugs leaving his body, causing his cape to flutter around him as the buzzing of insects filled the air.

"Whoa! You're one of the Aburame clan! _Man, all wiggly and gross!_"

Kiba snickered, "Shino, you look eager for a challenge!"

"Of course. That's because I was left out of that last Sasuke mission." the boy said, eyes, though hidden, no doubt narrowed behind his black goggles. "Go!" he ordered the bugs, and the black cloud raced for the orange-masked man, who was quickly covered, despite trying to flee.

"_All right! Go, Shino!_" Naruto exclaimed joyously.

"I will settle this." the heavily-clothed shinobi said, "Why? Because now that I'm part of this mission, I _must_ make myself useful!"

Ami couldn't help but smirk slightly. 'Wow, Shino, that's some grudge. I should remember to never piss you off.'

"How is it, Hinata?" Kakashi demanded.

"I-I'm able to detect the target's Chakra. He is definitely inside the swarm of Shino's insects." the shy Hyuuga answered.

At Kakashi's order, Yamato brought several planks up near to where the Akatsuki was standing on the side of a tree.

"Ready to attack at any time." the wood-user said.

Ami frowned slightly that she couldn't sense the man's body liquid at the distance they were from each other, but decided to place her trust in Shino. She'd been on missions with the Aburame before. He was capable and reliable.

"How is it Shino?" the masked Jounin queried.

"I feel him resisting." the bug-user replied, "This is because the Kikaichu, the Parasitic Insects, are frantically sucking up his Chakra."

"All right! Just let 'em suck him dry then!" Naruto yelled.

Shino grunted in shock as the swarm of insects suddenly dispersed.

The Konoha-Nin stared in shock.

Shino composed himself before speaking. "My insects, which were reacting to his Chakra, have suddenly lost him. This is impossible…"

"Teleportation jutsu?" Sakura asked.

"No, it wasn't teleportation." Shino said, seeming disturbed, "Why? Because if it was teleportation, my insects would respond and follow in his direction. They wouldn't let him escape."

"But… he just suddenly vanished…" Hinata mumbled.

"He erased his whole body… He erased his presence…?" Yamato whispered, stunned.

"No way…" Sakura breathed, "But, if we accept the fact that he can erase his existence at will, then it also follows that he can erase just a part of his body as well. Which explains why a part of his body, which should have been hit by an external attack, disappeared. And to us, it would look like the attack went right through him."

"So he didn't evade the attacks, they really were slipping through him." Kakashi said.

Akamaru barked, and Hinata's eyes widened.

"_I found him!_" the white-eyed girl cried, turning and pointing up above. "_Over there!_"

They turned and scowled at the sight of the man standing up in a tree, waving cheerily. "Oh! Hello, hello!"

Kiba ran for the man, spinning in a Gatsuuga. The man simply stepped to the side, and Kiba went through the tree bough, smacking into the ground.

"_Oi, Kiba! Don't be reckless!_" Sakura scolded.

Ami ignored the twitching boy upside down in his self-made hole, and glared up at the orange-masked man. Her eyes widened at the sight of a strange, green, plant-like thing sprouting up out of the limb beside the Akatsuki.

"How did it go?"

"_It's over._" the newcomer said in a low, sepulchral voice.

"What the fuck is that thing?" Ami asked quietly as the leaves, which looked rather similar to those of a Venus-flytrap slowly opened, showing a peep of a man inside with short, green hair, the left side of his body white, and the right side black, both with yellow eyes.

"He was on the Akatsuki roster Kabuto left with us." Kakashi said.

Naruto yelled angrily about the continuous interference.

The leafy stranger spoke again, this time in a far softer voice than before; "Sasuke has won. Uchiha Itachi is dead."

The eyes of the Konoha-Nin widened in shock.

"_What? I don't believe it!_" the orange-masked man said, before sounding as though he were smirking under his mask. "Just kidding." His voice dropped a few octaves, no longer squeaky and irritating, but rather deep and masculine. It seemed the other voice had been fake. "It's as I expected."

"Sasuke-kun… killed Itachi…?" Sakura gasped, stunned.

The green man turned to face them. "Sasuke's down too, but… I wonder how he is? He's in pretty bad shape."

"_Hey! You there, spiky aloe bastard!_" Naruto shouted, jabbing a finger at the green man, who looked rather offended. "_Where is Sasuke now?_"

"'_Aloe?_'" he growled, before being interrupted by the deep voice again, which seemed to be his dark side speaking; "_Don't bother with him._"

Kakashi's eye widened as he spotted something inside the black-garbed stranger's eyehole.

"I'll take you on another time." the cloaked man said.

The sensei was stunned. "_That's a… Sharingan?_"

The hair on the back of Ami's neck stood up at the sound of the name.

"Later." the Akatsuki said, moving an arm in front of his face and down across his body, as if he were literally wiping himself out of existence, and vanished.

Kakashi burst into a run. "_We have to find Sasuke before they do!_" He flew up onto the top of a tree, looking around, before calling back down; "_Hinata! Check in the direction of four o'clock!_"

She did. "I can see a strong Chakra over a wide scope, about ten kilometres ahead. Also, for some reason, the forest is burning… from black flames."

"_That's it! Everyone! Follow me!_"

* * *

Kiba quickly picked up on the pair's scents as they ran. They had already reached Sasuke.

A huge, ebony inferno blazed before them.

* * *

"_Everyone, be careful!_" Kakashi said, throwing out an arm to signal them to stop. "That fire will not go out until it completely incinerates anything it ignites. _Yamato!_"

"Yes, senpai!" the wood-user replied, raising and splitting the burning earth before them to open a way to proceed.

"_Right! Everyone, except Yamato, follow me!_"

* * *

As they ran, the skies open overhead, raindrops drenching them.

Ami couldn't stop thinking about how their enemy from earlier could possibly have the Sharingan. 'Only the Uchiha clan have Sharingan… what about sensei, though? Maybe he got it in the same way as sensei? He must have… Sasuke and Itachi are the last of the Uchiha… aren't they? Well, actually, if Itachi really is dead than it's just Sasuke, but… does Sharingan allow that man to do that special jutsu of his? What if Sasuke can do that now? Hell, I don't even know how sensei got his Sharingan. _Shit, this is complicated!_"

The battle site came into view, and Ami's heart skipped a beat in shock at the utter destruction that had occurred.

The entire arena was nothing but chunks of gray rubble.

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto demanded.

Hinata looked around, Byakugan activated, veins bulging in her face. "…I don't detect any other Chakra in this area besides ours." she said sadly.

The Konoha-Nin stood around the piece of crumbling stone that stood up in the middle of the destroyed battle zone from Sasuke and Itachi's fight, red and white Uchiha Crest painted onto the rock.

They had _just_ missed Sasuke, and the rain was washing all that remained of his faint scent away.

Naruto placed his hands on the emblem, looking down at the ground, heartbroken.

"_Why…?_ _Why is it that I can never reach Sasuke?_"

* * *

The rain continued to fall around them as the crushing truth finally sank in.

Despite continuing the search until there was absolutely no trace of Sasuke's scent left, they returned home, wet, cold, tired and defeated.

* * *

Ami sighed as she took a teabag from the cupboard, narrowly dodging Baby as the cat fell out from the cabinet, too tired and depressed to bother with mentally questioning just why she had been in there.

The silver-eyed animal gazed up at her.

Ami stared back, eyes slightly narrowed as she waited for the kettle to boil. "What are _you_ looking at?"

The black feline's ears lowered slightly and she hopped down gloomily off the counter, ignoring Ami's sighed apologies as she slunk away.

Ami groaned and leaned over, paying no attention to the dull pain that went through her head as her skull thudded against the side of the wooden door of the cupboard.

Steam rose from the spout of the kettle and the appliance clicked off.

Ami poured some of the hot liquid into a cup, stirred the teabag in it with a spoon, then took one look at the green fluid and tossed it down the sink with a heavy sigh.

She watched as the leafy colour circled the drain and vanished with the help of a dribble of water from the cold tap, feeling strangely… empty.

* * *

Jiraiya was dead.

* * *

Naruto's master, one of the closest people the boy had ever had, had been murdered by Akatsuki whilst trying to gain Intel on them.

Despite her grandmother's death having given Ami a similar experience and that she understood how the boy felt to a certain degree, nothing she or any of the others said seemed to reach the boy, and he had brushed by her as if she wasn't even there.

Naruto was distraught, and they were useless.

It was horribly frustrating, seeing the boy who usually brightened everyone's days so miserable, with nothing they could do to help him feel better.

Tsunade wasn't exactly a bundle of laughs at the moment, either.

Scowling slightly as she slid the levers in their individual hidden places, setting up the security up for the night, Ami groaned as she felt the ache of her muscles from the long mission from two days ago.

Jiraiya had left a dying message that the code breakers were currently trying to crack, but from what she had heard so far, they hadn't been having much luck, but hopefully the body that he had had a frog bring back would give them some answers about the enemy in the autopsy.

She sat at the table and pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes, taking a sick kind of satisfaction at the squelching noise they made.

"Wow, you look like shit." a voice commented.

She lifted her head to glare slightly at Sora, who leaned against the doorframe in a yukata.

"Thanks very much." the girl grumbled.

The woman slid into the seat in front of her. "Go on. You want to moan, don't you?"

Ami shook her head before dropping her gaze back down to the table, studying the lines in the wood as she turned the events of the mission over and over in her head.

"…I heard about everything, you know."

Ami was silent, and didn't look up.

"You're disappointed."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're lying to yourself."

"I'm not."

"Then you're lying to me."

"Just leave me alone."

"Not until you talk about it."

The brunette's head snapped up and she bared her teeth at her master. "_I said I don't want to! Now, fuck off!_"

"…Sasuke got away again."

"_What of it?_"

"You're upset."

"_I said 'fuck off'!_"

Ami could do no more than widen her eyes before the black woman leapt to her feet and slammed a hand on the table in front of her.

"Have you changed your mind about the Uchiha, yet? He's only going to keep hurting you! You should be smart enough to realize that, already! Frankly, you'd be better off if he were _dead_!"

"_I SAID FUCK OFF! We've had this conversation a million times already, and I'm sick of it! I'm not hurt, and I'm not upset! I'm just irritated and you're not helping!_"

"_If you were intelligent, you'd have stopped with this stupid crap! Sasuke doesn't care about you anymore! You're little more than dead to him!_"

"_I know that, and I DON'T CARE! We're getting him back anyway!_"

"…If you don't care then why are you crying?"

Ami reached for her cheeks and was shocked to find tears.

"I know you too well for you to be able to lie to me." Sora said, staring her student down, though the girl refused to meet her gaze. "You're crushed at what has happened, and you're trying to be tough about it. If things go on much longer like this, Sasuke won't be able to return to the village and live here. If he gets any worse, then even if you do manage to bring him back, Tsunade will have no choice but to execute him. He's _dangerous_ and _rogue_. You're not stupid. You're well aware of this. It's why you've been moping around the house all day."

Memories of Team Seven and their Genin time together filled Ami's mind;

Her first day at the academy. When the teams were picked. The bell test. Various missions. Eating at Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto and the raven's banter together. Festivals. Training. Finding Baby. Dates. Running from Fangirls. The last few days before he left…

She couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears she had been suppressing throughout the mission flowed down her face, and silent sobs racked her body as she stood, necklace clenched in her fist, a hand on her face.

Sora watched her from across the table, arms crossed. "...You should grow up." she said quietly, before getting to her feet and leaving the girl to sob, "We'll resume training tomorrow."

* * *

It was amazing how much you could miss in a day.

Naruto had cheered up, thanks to Iruka, and was back to his usual happy self.

With a single thick-headed comment from the blond, Shikamaru and the code cracker had broken the code and discovered the message, although they were unsure as to just what it meant:

'The real one's not among them'.

The boy was also leaving on yet another training trip, this time with Jiraiya's toads to learn some new kind of jutsu.

* * *

'What should I do…?' Ami wondered, taking bed sheets from the clothesline on the roof as she pondered what to train at next, before turning her head as she spotted several flare-like objects shooting through the sky, exploding as they hit buildings, bringing up large clouds of smoke and flames from the structures.

"_What the fuck?_"

A loud smashing and Aiko screaming sounded from the other end of the dorm, and she spun round, leaping over to the other side of the roof to see.

It was not an understatement to say that what she saw nearly made her shit herself.

A monstrous, black and orange centipede with a black rod embedded in its head was rampaging in the middle of the village. Aiko was running from the creature, screaming her head off in terror as its long body destroyed the entire east side of the inn in a single sweep.

Ami swore, mentally thanking god that nobody stayed in the rooms on that side, but also cursing the beast for wrecking a part they had very recently renovated. She was pretty sure the insurance wouldn't cover giant bugs.

She shot towards her sister, as did the centipede, but Aiko tripped and fell to the floor. Thankfully, Ami reached her first, and as Haruka came barreling around the corner, grabbed the girl and retreated momentarily, throwing the pigtailed child to the ANBU woman.

"_Evacuate the others!_" the landlady cried, "_Get everyone out!_"

"_Understood!_" the black-haired woman answered, setting down Aiko and sprinting back inside, Aiko lingering behind, looking up at her elder sibling.

"Sis-"

"_Aiko! Stay with Haruka and do exactly what she tells you! Do you understand me?_"

"_Y-yes!_"

"_GO THEN!_"

"_Y-YES!_"

The centipede lunged again and Ami snarled, racing at it, bringing up the Kaze Engo to smash it in the face, ripping off its jaws. Blood splattered onto the walls and roof tiles around her as it was deflected by the air currents circling her body, the beast roaring in agony, Ami screeching herself as she continued to slice the beast to pieces.

"_YEAH, I HOPE IT FUCKING HURTS!_"

The centipede stopped bellowing, then fell to the side as it died, smashing down through several floors of Keijousai as it went before vanishing in a bang of smoke.

Ami screamed a loud curse in frustration at the amount of damage the summoned monster had caused simply by dying.

* * *

**ATTENTION ALL READERS. **

**FRIEND WILL BE GOING ON A HIATUS OF SORTS.**

**Now, before the 'OMG's and 'WTF's, let me explain.**

**When I say hiatus, what I really mean is that I've caught up as far as possible, so I now have to wait on the manga and anime to continue on a bit more before I can continue, therefore, updates will be quite spaced out from here on. I want this story to follow canon, and I fit a lot into my chapters.  
**

**To be honest, when I first started I was sure Naruto would be long over by the time Friend was, but, there you go. :/**

**Long story short, I'm going to need to take a bit of time before I can continue. I am _NOT_ sick of this story. I just really don't see any other options. :(**

**I will, however, be doing some side stories of Friend to help tide you guys over, so if you stick me on your author alerts, I can give you those. If you have any ideas or things you'd like to see, let me know! :D Message, review, whatever you like! :D**

**Keep in mind though, I'm also very busy. I have to rewrite all the notes I have for four subjects (Chemistry, Art [the Art History notes], Irish and French) because the teacher's notes are so crap I barely understand them.**

* * *

**Ninpou; Tousenbou no jutsu = Ninja Art; Blockade Technique**


	33. Tensions, Hollows and Change

**WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! ****WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! ****WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! ****WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! ****WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! ****WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! ****WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! ****WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! ****WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! ****WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! WARNING TO ALL NARUSAKU FANS! **IF YOU DO NOT WANT SERIOUS SPOILERS FOR THIS PAIRING DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THIS FAR IN THE MANGA/ANIME! I AM NOT LIABLE FOR ANY SPOILERS YOU DISCOVER! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

* * *

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

**Yeah, so... I know the anime hasn't reached this far yet, but two days ago, I decided to use the manga, because I'll probably be in college before they finish the Naruto anime (with fillers and whatnot). I'm not used to using the manga, and the waiting of the hiatus made me a little rusty, but I hope it's up to scratch... It's definitely one long-ass chapter.**

**Anyway, enjoy. :)**

* * *

Tensions, Hollows and Change

* * *

Summon after summon was attacking the girls, and no matter how many they killed they were continuously replaced.

Haruka had finished evacuating the dorm and had returned to fight by Ami's side. Sora had left to fight elsewhere in the village, more than likely going straight for the Akatsuki.

They'd been battling for the past three hours.

* * *

Haruka threw several explosive tags attached to kunai at a nearby summon, striking it in the eye. Blood splattered the dorm as the bomb went off.

Ami noted a small version of Tsunade's slug summon climbing onto her shoulder.

"Tsunade-sama has sent me here to help." the invertebrate said, beginning to glow with Chakra.

"No good to me." Ami said, plucking the slimy creature from her body and placing her on the raven-haired woman's back instead before swinging an arm to smash a bull summon in the face with a large torrent of water, "The thought is appreciated, though. Haruka-san, any ideas as to what to do?"

"There's not much we can do besides what we are. We keep killing."

Ami thrust a palm forward, slicing a boar's tongue off. Scarlet splattered everything in the vicinity, including them both as the beast's tongue went flying, crushing an empty house.

"…Not to be rude, but I really wish you were tidier." the older woman said, tone slightly disdainful.

Ami grunted in reply, then lifted her eyebrows, surprised as the summons surrounding them vanished in bangs of smoke.

A low rumbling noise sounded in the distance and the pair of females glanced round to see a huge cloud of debris sweeping through the village like dust blown by a fan.

Ami could hear her brain screaming for her to run, but she couldn't move. Her muscles wouldn't listen. Haruka was bellowing something. She didn't know what. She sounded far away. Something squishy pressed against the back of her head and a pair of arms closed around her, pulling her back.

* * *

The pair of women gasped for air as they were released from Katsuyu's squelchy body.

Ami was still dazed, and nearly fell over upon exiting the slug's flesh. However, she was caught by Haruka before she hit the ground.

They had been pushed right to the edge of what had used to be the village, busted houses, wreckage and ruin surrounding them as they gaped. Injured people scattered the ground, the huge white and blue slugs healing them with glowing green Chakra. Not everyone could be healed though.

The villagers stared in shock horror at the hollow their home had been reduced to.

Ami turned her head and perceived something she had never before witnessed; tears dripping down Haruka's face.

The brunette gazed down into the crater, scanning the earth where she thought Keijousai had once stood. With no point of reference however, she could easily have been far, far off.

Her brain was frozen, trying desperately to deny everything her eyes were seeing. She could only do that for so long, though, and despite the fact that it was a warm, sunny day, a feeling of being dipped in ice water filled the girl.

It was sinking in.

* * *

How many homes had just been destroyed?

How many people had just died?

Keijousai; Gone.

The academy; Gone.

Ichiraku Ramen; Gone.

The training grounds; Gone.

All the memories, everything they'd owned; Gone.

No money. No clothes. No food. No home.

Konoha was no more.

Nothing.

_They had nothing._

* * *

A bang exploded in the middle of the crater. Naruto, wearing a red cape with black flames and a large scroll stood atop a large, orange frog, which in turn stood atop a huge, brown frog in the middle of the smoke. Another two frogs, green and purple, stood on either side of him.

All six Peins assembled in the crater before Naruto, Naruto's summons and Tsunade, who also stood down in the hole, tired and panting from giving her slug the Chakra to heal the villagers. An ANBU with a bird mask stood beside her.

One of the Peins shot for Tsunade, arm outstretched, but Naruto appeared above with inhuman speed, smashing the enemy to pieces, lumps of metal flying from underneath the black Akatsuki cloak.

* * *

Ami was too far to see what was happening. She turned her attention away from the battle as her teacher jumped down beside her.

"Yo." Sora said, looking down at the chaos below.

"What's happening?"

"Naruto just took down one of the Peins in a single swoop. Crushed him. There's something you should know, though."

"What?"

"Aiko's hurt. Badly."

Ami turned her head so fast that her neck cracked. "_WHAT?_" she turned to Haruka, "_You never told me! What happened? Will she be okay?_"

"A piece of rubble fell on her chest and broke a rib, and that rib punctured a lung. Tension pneumothorax. She's being treated."

Ami was horrified. "_HARUKA, I TRUSTED YOU WITH MY SISTER! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU PLAYING AT?_"

"_FUCK OFF!_" the ANBU retorted, screaming for the first time Ami had ever heard, "_IT WAS YOUR SISTER OR MINE, AND YOU WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING!_"

"_Both of you, calm down!_" Sora ordered. "We have work to do, let's put this aside for now. _Ami_. Your sister is being treated by a medic."

"_My sister could also die._" the brunette snarled, tears building up in her eyes. She placed her face in her hands and dropped to the ground, kneeling in the dirt and hunching over as she thought of her sister. 'I can't go to see her because the place where the evacuated people are will be closed off. The last thing I said to her… _I yelled at her…_ The last thing she saw me doing was trying to kill a centipede… _What if I don't get to see her again…?_' Terror set in and Ami began to sob, '_What if I lose the last of my family? Dad… Mom… Grandma… and now Aiko?_' She began to tremble as she remembered the pigtailed girl's smiling face, bright green eyes and joyful, innocent laughing as she called her older sister's name, or her pout as she soaked herself during training, or frantic jabbering as she tried to salvage what would be left edible after Ami would attempt to cook. '_I don't want to lose anyone else… Please, god, please don't let Aiko die!_'

"You can't think about that right now." Sora said quietly, "You need to control yourself. While Naruto is fighting, let's try and heal people. I know you can't heal, but you know first aid. Come on. We can prevent more people feeling as scared as you right now."

The brunette nodded, but tears still flowed from her eyes. She wiped them roughly on her sleeve. "…Let's go."

* * *

Many people died that day.

* * *

Besides the utter destruction of the village thanks to the summons, attacks, and bomb-like technique on Konoha, one of the 'Peins', as the orange-haired Akatsuki members called themselves, had had the speciality of stealing souls, and more than a few had fallen victim to him.

Leave it to Naruto to do more than just defeat the enemy though. As well as figure out the secret behind the enemy's fighting, he had located the person controlling the puppet-like enemy and managed to return all the souls to those who had been reaped, saving many.

Hinata had stepped in when Naruto got into trouble, confessing the love for the boy she'd harboured for years, before fighting the attacking Pein. She was badly injured and nearly killed as a result of the battle, triggering a transformation for Naruto where he almost gained all nine tails whilst the Pein tried to capture him, mysteriously stopping and reversing just before completion. Hinata, thanks to Sakura's treatment, would live.

Konoha was leaderless with Tsunade was in a coma from using so much of her own Chakra to heal everyone in the village.

As for Aiko…

She made it.

* * *

After the attack, work of rebuilding the village had begun almost immediately. Team Kakashi had been pleasantly surprised with a visit from Tazuna, who had turned a little greyer and a little more wrinkly, but was nothing compared to the grinning young boy he had brought along with him. They were pleased to see that Inari's bright mood following having met Naruto hadn't diminished in the slightest over the past few years, and he had a wide grin on his face as they assisted the rebuilding of Konoha. People of all ages were helping out, but it was Yamato who got to do the heavy lifting. Keijousai was one of the first things he kindly agreed to rebuild, both as a personal favour to Ami, and as the dorm would provide lodging for quite a few people until more houses were built.

It was Sakura who had the bright idea of finding the old site for Keijousai by walking about and finding the hot spring under the ground. As Keijousai and the village's bath house had been on completely opposite sides of town, it was easy to tell which was which, and Ami found it in a little under half an hour.

* * *

Yamato rose an eyebrow as he eyed the blueprints. "What kind of dorm is this?"

"Can you make it?" Ami asked.

The man sighed, dreading the fatigue he knew he would have once he made such a huge structure. "I can't make anything that isn't wood. The paper for the shoji, roof slates, the metal wires for the traps, knives, all that, I can't make. You'll have to add it yourselves."

"Can you dig the spring out with an earth technique?"

Yamato groaned slightly as he made the necessary hand seals. "Slave driver…"

* * *

Ami grinned at the sight of small twigs sprouting from the ground, speedily morphing into thick columns of wood that curved and twisted, eventually forming the shape of the main part of the ryokan. "Yamato-taichou, it's fantastic! It looks just like it! Can we move on to the next part now-_oh god, your face is scary_."

Yamato was staring at her, looking half-dead as he panted, tears running down his face, eyes bulging in their sockets.

She decided to let him rest.

* * *

The pigtailed girl was currently resting in bed, and Ami left the builders to it with a water clone to give instructions to them as she went to check up on the girl.

Upon quietly entering the tent, the brunette glanced around before striding over to her sister and kneeling at her side, studying her face. She sighed in relief and the younger girl stirred awake.

"Ah, sorry. I guess I woke you. You alright?"

Aiko smiled. "Yeah, just tired. …Where's Baby?"

Ami frowned. "I don't know. I'm not even sure if she got out or not. I don't like to say this… but she could be dead, Aiko."

There was a loud, indignant-sounding meow as Ami screeched a curse at the feel of claws sinking into her rear.

Aiko beamed. "_Baby!_"

The older sister looked over her shoulder to glare down at the completely unscathed feline, before grinning, relieved. "Well,_ excuse me,_ for doubting you. Now get off my arse."

* * *

After fussing over her younger sibling a little more, Ami left the girl with their pet and headed into the village, where she soon met up with Sakura and Naruto.

* * *

The brunette was silent as she stared blankly ahead of herself, straight at the canvas wall of the tent. The comatose Tsunade laid behind her, and Shizune, and Sakura sat beside her, Sai standing before them, frowning and frustrated.

* * *

Sasuke had joined Akatsuki.

Akatsuki had attacked Konoha.

If Sasuke had joined Akatsuki, he may well have assisted in the attack on Konoha.

The attack that destroyed their home.

The attack that nearly killed Aiko.

The attack that nearly took the last of her family away.

Danzo had taken over in the comatose Tsunade's stead as Sixth Hokage.

Danzo had declared Sasuke a Missing-Nin that was to be eliminated as soon as possible.

Neither Naruto, Sakura, nor anyone else in the village trusted Danzo very much, but Sai couldn't tell them a thing about the man because of a Curse Mark placed on his tongue. As Kakashi had said; Sasuke was indeed a rogue ninja and would normally have been eliminated long ago. It was only because of Tsunade that he had been permitted to live. Now, look at what had happened because of that softness.

Maybe Danzo had the right idea.

Sasuke had kidnapped the Eight-Tailed Jinchuuriki.

That meant Naruto would be taken next.

Shinobi had come from the cloud village, Kumogakure, in the Country of Lightning looking to kill Sasuke for kidnapping their Jinchuuriki, and Naruto seemed to have taken the first step by explaining to them that their master was possibly alive, as the Akatsuki needed to capture, not kill the Jinchuuriki, at least until they sealed them, then going with them.

Sai told them both that Naruto had refused to sell out Sasuke, and as a result, was brutally beaten by them until he stepped in. Even still, he had decided to head for a recently-arranged meeting of the five Kages; a Five Kage Summit Conference, (where Danzo had also gone) to ask the Raikage to call off his order for revenge on Sasuke.

* * *

"Sakura." Sai said, brow furrowing, "I was only recently assigned to Team Kakashi to take Sasuke's place, so I still don't know all of you that well. And I'm not good at understanding a person's feelings. I don't know the promise made between you and Naruto. But_ even I _can tell that_ Naruto loves you! _It's as though Naruto has been shouldering the burden of his promise with you as though he intends to bear that burden for the rest of his life." Sai continued, "I don't know what you told Naruto, but it's no different from what was done to me. _It's like a Curse Mark._ Sasuke is the source of Naruto's agony, but Sakura… _aren't you a part of it too?_"

The pinkette started to sob as every single thing the raven was saying pierced her heart like daggers of cold, hard truth that she had never wanted to acknowledge.

"_Wait!_" Shizune interrupted, "Naruto genuinely wants to rescue Sasuke, not just because he promised Sakura! Isn't that so?"

"I totally agree with you." the boy replied, "But we all rely on Naruto too much. I've watched how Naruto has been acting lately, and I figured out what he's feeling. _It's sadness._ Then my thoughts turn to Sasuke… and it starts to get warm in my gut. I realise now that it's anger. Whether it's for Naruto's sake, or for the village, we can't just rely on Naruto. We have to take action ourselves. Sasuke-"

Shikamaru chose that moment to enter. "Sai is absolutely right. We're not kids anymore. We must stop Akatsuki, and we must stop Sasuke. I came here for Team Seven's consent."

Shizune grimaced. "'Consent'? Don't tell me…"

"Yes… exactly that." the Nara replied firmly, "We can't allow war to break out between Konohagakure and Kumogakure because of Sasuke." His voice's volume dropped, but remained just as grave. "Let me put it another way. Listen carefully. Should Kumogakure kill Sasuke, there's no way that you two, Ami and Sakura, Ino or Naruto would take it quietly. And if through some reckless act, any of you are killed by the Cloud, neither I, Chouji, Inoichi, nor your parents and relatives would sit still. They would seek revenge. Then the other side won't remain quiet. _They'll_ want revenge. And if Chouji and I are killed, then it will be our parents who take action. And before we know it, we'll be at war. According to the messenger from the Cloud, Sasuke is already being treated as a criminal on a national level, If Sasuke continues to align himself with the Akatsuki and intensify the hatred throughout the country, the Hidden Leaf must deal with Sasuke. That's my belief. You understand where I'm coming from, don't you? Sakura… Ami… that's why I need your consent. Sakura… will you…?"

The pink-haired girl cut him off. "_Shikamaru. Please… don't say any more._"

"…What do you think, Ami?" the Nara asked.

After several moments, the brunette lifted her head and spoke quietly. "…I… don't want Sasuke to hurt anyone else… Do what you think is best, but if we're to kill him… I'm coming, too."

The rosette was silent.

"Sorry Sakura…" the Chuunin said, "But whatever your answer is, I must act for the sake of the Leaf's future. I intend to tell Naruto this too. Where is he?"

"Naruto has gone to the Land of Iron." Sai explained. "To meet with the Raikage."

Shikamaru seemed unnerved. "He's willing to go that far? I guess this isn't going to be easy."

"When is anything involving Naruto ever easy?" Ami mumbled to herself.

"I'll talk to Naruto." Sakura said decidedly, wiping her face, "He's foolish enough to like someone like me. So let me handle this."

Shikamaru nodded, and Ami got to her feet as Sakura finished drying her eyes.

* * *

A lot of dirty work had been done behind the scenes under Danzo's orders, and one couldn't afford to be faint-hearted when holding the entire village's safety in their hands.

Maybe this man was exactly what they needed as a leader.

Naruto had protested about the order to kill Sasuke, but perhaps it was for the best, and selfish as it was, Ami needed closure.

And the best way to get that, she concluded, was to kill him herself.

* * *

They set out for the Land of Iron found Naruto, Yamato and Kakashi late at night outside a snow-covered lodge. Naruto sat on top of the inn, turning to stare in surprise at them with yellow sage eyes, some of the fluffy, white precipitation that was falling all around sliding from the top of his spiked hair, having accumulated there as he had meditated to gather the same power he had used to fight Pein.

"What are you all doing here?" Kakashi questioned, eyeing the cloaks that Sakura, Ami, Lee, Kiba and Sai were wearing.

The rosette adverted her sensei's question and turned her attention to her teammate on the roof. "Naruto. We need to talk."

The Jinchuuriki gazed at her, bewildered.

* * *

Ami's jaw had dropped, along with many others.

'No fucking way.'

* * *

Sakura had just confessed to Naruto.

* * *

The blond was gaping like a fish, wide, blue eyes staring at his teammate in shock. "Sorry… I must've had something in my ear… Could you repeat that?"

"I said; 'I love you', Naruto." the pinkette repeated, cheeks pink. "I said Sasuke-kun doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I must have been crazy to have carried a torch for him for so long. You should listen more carefully when a woman confesses her feelings for you!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the girl and his brow furrowed. "But _why?_ Why _now?_ If this is a joke,_ it's not funny. _What's going on?"

"Nothing, _really. _I just opened my eyes. Why should I love a rogue ninja who's a criminal? I'm not a child anymore. I can face reality. So Naruto, you can forget about the promise you made to me. You can stop chasing after Sasuke, all right?"

'Don't tell me that this is how she plans to get Naruto to go along with what we're doing… Sakura… that's sick.' Ami was blatantly frowning behind the girl's back. She didn't care whether Naruto saw or not. Sakura had forgotten; Naruto wasn't a stupid twelve year old boy anymore, and no one could read people like he could.

"…Sakura-chan, did something happen?" the Jinchuuriki demanded, "This is all so sudden."

"Nothing happened!" the rosette insisted, "It's obvious why I fell in love with you!"

The blond continued to stare her down, and Sakura dropped her head, smile and blush still in place before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the boy.

"Sasuke-kun keeps getting further and further away from me. But Naruto, you've always been by my side and cheered me up. Naruto, I finally realised… your true self. Even that time with Pein… You returned when you were needed most. The hero who protected the village. Today, everyone in the village admires you. And I'm simply one of them now. You used to be a prank-loving loser, but now you've become a wonderful person. And I've witnessed it all, first-hand. Meanwhile, Sasuke keeps adding to his crimes, and breaking my heart. Always becoming more of a stranger. But you, Naruto, I'm able to be close to you like this. You comfort me. I care about you, from the bottom of my heart-"

Naruto shoved her away. "_Cut it out, Sakura-chan._" he growled, "This joke isn't funny at all!"

Sakura's lip began to quiver, but she tried to force her smile back. "Why are you so upset? I'm just telling you that I like you now instead of Sasuke-kun. You know how women are? So fickle."

Naruto's hands tightened on her shoulders as he looked her straight in the eye.

"_I hate people who lie to themselves._" he snarled.

Sakura's smile vanished and a dangerous note sounded in her voice. "_…I'm lying to myself?_"

Naruto nodded, and she slapped his hands away.

"_I'm the one who decides how I feel!_" she barked, "_If you hate me, just come out and say so! Don't just make up a convenient excuse-!_"

"But it doesn't make sense! You came all the way out here _just_ to tell me that?"

"'_Just_' to tell you? '_JUST_'_? You don't think it's a big deal for a girl to profess her love? _I came_ 'all the way out here'? Of course I'd come all the way out here! Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke! That's all you think about, going after Sasuke-kun and putting yourself in danger! You're the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and the Akatsuki are after you! Worry about yourself for a change! I'm saying that it's not necessary to endanger yourself just to chase after Sasuke-kun! I want you to come back to the village now! That's why I'm here! That's all!_"

There was a short silence before Naruto answered.

"I think it just sounds like a painful excuse." he said, "I know you pretty well, Sakura-chan."

"Then why don't you understand?" the Medic-Nin sighed. "I don't care about Sasuke now that he's a criminal, so the promise between you and I doesn't matter anymore!"

"It's not just about the promise. I kind of understand more now, about why Sasuke has become obsessed with revenge and is causing so much damage. Sasuke loved his family and his clan. Because his love was so deep, it's hard for him to forgive."

"If he was so devoted, why would he join the Akatsuki after defeating the unforgivable Itachi?" Kiba demanded.

After a moment of silence, the blond spoke his answer. "That's not how it was. Actually-"

"_Naruto!_" Kakashi interrupted, and the boy froze a moment, before composing himself.

Ami narrowed her eyes. 'He knows something… _what…?_'

"It doesn't matter even if there's no promise between us anymore." the blond said, "I personally want to save Sasuke."

Kiba steeped forward to whisper in Sakura's ear. "What now, Sakura? Maybe you should just tell him the truth-"

Sakura swiftly showed her disapproval by digging her heel hard into the Inuzuka's foot, extracting a squawk of agony from the boy.

"_Forget it! I'm going back! Let's go, Sai, Kiba, Lee-san, Ami!_"

The aforementioned and Akamaru followed wearily behind her.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Sakura spoke.

"Kiba, I need a favour."

The feral-looking boy blinked. "What?"

"_I'm going to start looking for Sasuke-kun right now! Assist me!_"

* * *

Sprinting through the forest, Lee piped up to ask a question.

"Sakura-san, don't you think you ought to tell Naruto-kun the truth?"

"…There's no way I could tell him. I just can't."

"Sakura… you underestimate Naruto." Kiba grumbled, before widening his eyes as a certain scent was detected by his nose. "I've found Sasuke! That Tobi guy is with him too!"

"_Everyone stop!_" Sakura barked.

"_What? Why?_" Ami demanded. "_We already agreed on our formation!_"

Sakura's hand shifted under her cloak. "Kiba… exactly how far away is Sasuke-kun?"

"…He's straight north, two o'clock, about one kilometre in front of us."

It happened in a flash. Sakura whipped her fist out from under her cloak, a sleeping gas bomb clutched in her fingers, and Sai shot his own palm out to grip her arm.

"I knew it…" he said disapprovingly, "You were planning to put us to sleep with this and deal with Sasuke on your own."

"…Well, that's _shitty_." Ami growled.

"Alone..? But why?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah, we promised we'd do it together!" Lee agreed.

"_No… I won't let anyone past._" Sai said suddenly.

Ami's eyes widened and her face darkened. "_What did you just say?_"

"_Why not?_" Sakura demanded.

"_I knew this guy was shady!_" Kiba snarled.

"None of us are strong enough to defeat either Sasuke or Tobi. I promised Kakashi-sensei I wouldn't let you go." the ANBU Root justified.

"Sai…" Sakura said, "I'm only going to say this once… _get out of my way._"

"No. I can't let you go." the boy said, bringing up several black ink snakes out of a scroll.

"You think you can stop us with your snakes?" Lee queried, staring the pale shinobi down.

"I understand where Kakashi-sensei's coming from, but we can't just keep letting Sasuke get away. I'm going to settle things once and for all!" Kiba barked.

Akamaru whined.

"Looks like your dog is smarter than you." Sai frowned.

The Inuzuka rushed at him. "SHUT UP!"

The others rushed at him as the brunette boy started up a Gatsuuga.

In the confusion, Sakura dropped several sleep bombs.

Both Sai and Ami had already inhaled by the time they saw them. Kiba, Lee and Akamaru never even noticed. Regardless, they all dropped to the ground like bricks, and Sakura vanished into the woods ahead of them.

* * *

Ami woke up five minutes later, dazed, drowsy and confused. Frantically gathering her thoughts and remembering the who, what, where, when and how, she hastily dragged herself over to Sai and began trying to shake him awake. No response. She slapped his cheek. Nothing. She pried open his eyelids. No reaction. She tried Kiba next, kicking the boy in the side, then tried shouting at Akamaru and dumping water on Lee. They were practically comatose.

'…Sakura must have forgotten how corrosive my Chakra is if she used a Chakra-based drug…' she thought, 'That, or she thought it would work on me anyway… or well enough for her to do what she wanted to, at least. Or maybe she used ingredients I'm immune to… Mom did use to immunise me against poisons and stuff, and then Grandma did the same for me and Aiko as well… doubt it was that, though. It did knock me out…' She checked the sun's rough position behind the clouds. 'Not for too long though. Can't have been more than ten minutes… I won't get anywhere with the others, but I have to go try to stop Sakura. She'll die by herself. So would I. Where did Kiba say Sasuke was again…? Oh yeah. I remember now.'

She dashed North.

* * *

Ami arrived just in time to hear something that filled her with rage.

Sasuke, glaring, bloody and beaten, stood before Sakura on a huge stone bridge in a rocky valley, a dead Danzo fallen behind him.

"Are you really willing to betray the leaf for me?" he asked.

"_Yes._"

"Hn. Prove it then." he gestured towards a bleeding, half-dead girl lying on the stone ground. "Kill her and I'll accept your offer."

"_WHAT THE HELL, SAKURA?_" Ami barked, running forward, shocking the pinkette with her appearance, yanking out a kunai, pointing it at her female teammate from the edge of the bridge. "_FIRST YOU DRUG US, THEN YOU DECIDE TO RUN AWAY AND JOIN SASUKE? ARE YOU INSANE?_"

The Medic-Nin gaped at the water-user, and Sasuke smirked.

"On second thoughts, kill her instead."

Ami felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck at the sight of the boy, but she did her best to ignore it.

"_Ami?_" Sakura cried, "_What are you doing here?_"

"_I'm here to do exactly what you claimed earlier you were going to do!_"

"What, you want to join me as well?"

Ami felt her heart ache at the sight of the boy. Orochimaru and hatred had stained him so much. However, Sasuke or not, he was a Missing-Nin who would probably kill her with a smile on his face. This was no time for softness. She was a kunoichi, and that was her job.

"_I'd die first._"

"Is that so?" He sounded amused.

"…Who is she?" Sakura asked tentatively, glancing at the red-haired, bespectacled girl on the ground.

"A member of my organisation; HAWK. As you can see, she's useless to me now. Actually, you're a Medic-Nin, aren't you Sakura? This works out perfectly, you can take her place."

The rosette stepped forward.

Ami spoke up. "Sakura. You don't want this. He's changed, Sasuke's not the same person he once was. The person in front of you isn't him. Sakura, he'll drop you just like he dropped her."

She had now reached the redhead and drawn a kunai.

"_Sakura!_"

"What's wrong? Can't you handle this?" the raven demanded.

Ami's eyes widened.

She wouldn't make it.

Sasuke was behind the pinkette, hand crackling, eyes mad.

He didn't want Sakura to join him.

He wanted Sakura dead.

* * *

In an instant, Kakashi had appeared from nowhere, shoving Sasuke's lightning-filled hand away and off-target.

"You've fallen so low." he chastised.

A short scuffle ensued, and Sasuke leapt back, smirking at the man who was once his sensei.

"You were trying to kill Sasuke on your own, weren't you, Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

The girl lowered her eyes like a guilty child being quietly scolded.

"There's no need for you to shoulder this burden all by yourself. As the leader of Team Seven, I personally blame my own shortcomings for the team failing. Maybe I was just trying to convince myself. I apologise… I've been a terrible sensei to you all."

The pink-haired girl's eyes widened. "No, you…"

"Sasuke. I hate having to repeat myself, but I'll say this just once more. _Stop your obsession with revenge!_"

The Uchiha burst out into a fit of crazed laughter that sent chills down the spines of the girls.

He eventually calmed, and his smirk faded into a scowl.

"Bring back Itachi… _and my mother… and my father… AND MY CLAN! BRING THEM ALL BACK! THEN I'LL STOP!_"

"…I don't want to kill you." the silver-haired man said in a low voice.

The raven's eyes took on a crazy glint. "Oh, you think you can just take me out whenever you feel like it, huh? Don't act like you're still my teacher, that time's over! _I want to kill you so badly I can taste it!_"

Ami gulped. 'He's changed so much… he's almost deranged.'

"Sakura, get this girl stabilised to the point that she can talk. She should know a lot of information about our… enemy."

"And you, sensei?"

"Take her and go. Ami, you too. I'll see this through with the same determination and resolve as you. That's my job, after all!" he finished with an eye-crinkling smile.

Sakura's lip quivered and Ami allowed a small frustrated growl to escape her throat as she heard what was said as they left.

"No matter how far Orochimaru fell, the Third always looked upon him with affection." the masked man said, "I think I finally understand what he went through all those years ago."

"Well, then," came the sneered response, "You and the Third will have plenty to talk about when you _join him!_"

* * *

Ami watched silently, biting back sobs as Sakura healed the large stab wound through the chest of the girl with glasses, the pinkette allowing tears to flow heavily down her face. The redhead began to cry silently at the sight of the Medic-Nin sobbing, water leaking out from the corners of her eyes. She turned away, still holding it in.

The redhead rasped through her bloody mouth. "_Sasuke's not the person you used to know… his Chakra's colder than ever…_"

* * *

As soon as Sakura was finished healing the girl, they both made their way to the side of the bridge, looking down at Kakashi and Sasuke fighting on the water down below.

Sakura shot down the side through one of the arches, knife in hand, ready to kill, and alarm bells went off in Ami's head as soon as she saw the pinkette rushing for Sasuke. She almost screamed out loud when she saw the girl freeze, kunai pointed at Sasuke's back.

The Uchiha realised almost instantly, and whipped round, grabbing the girl by her throat and snatching the blade from her hand.

"_SASUKE, DON'T DO IT!_" Kakashi ordered.

The raven swung the knife towards the girl, but Naruto appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Sakura up and away in his arms, bridal-style, a small cut on his cheek resulting from Sasuke's slash.

Kakashi threw a punch at Sasuke, catching the surprised boy off guard, and knocked him into the side of the bridge, Sakura's kunai falling from his hand.

The raven landed on the water with a small splash.

"You've got even better at timing than me, Naruto." the sensei praised quickly, as the aforementioned boy sat Sakura on the ground, "I never expected you to come but I'm sure as hell glad you did."

The blond locked eyes with the Missing-Nin that was formerly his friend, as Sakura mumbled a small 'thank you' to him from behind.

"Sasuke. Sakura-chan is a member of Team Seven, just like us."

"In case you've forgotten, I'm _ex_-Team Seven." the Uchiha sneered.

"Is that enough proof, Naruto?" Kakashi questioned. "Sasuke's not the same person anymore."

The Jinchuuriki stepped out from behind the masked sensei. "Sasuke…"

"_What?_"

"Tobi told us the truth about Itachi!"

The eyes of Ami and Sakura widened as they simultaneously questioned what their teammate meant by 'truth'.

"I don't know if I believe him or not, but either way, everything you've done… _I understand why you did it!_"

Shock filled the faces of everyone.

Sasuke's eye twitched. "Naruto… I told you once before… you never had parents or siblings you never had anyone… _so SHUT UP YOU OUTSIDER!_"

Sakura's face darkened. "_Naruto's had faith in you, Sasuke-kun! No matter how badly the world slandered you, he's always considered you a friend!_ He still does…"

"_Just now…_" the raven said quietly, "_I finally got revenge for Itachi against one of his betrayers… one of Konoha's top brass… his name was Danzo._"

Their eyes widened.

Ami frowned slightly. 'I wonder… should I be feeling bad for not feeling bad?' She quickly dismissed her own moral questioning and turned her attention back to Sasuke, who was looking quite the nutter at the moment.

"_It was a high unlike anything I've ever felt…_" he rambled, "_Like I was finally cleansing the Uchiha name of the stigma that's dogged it for all these years. Like I was freeing the Uchiha from being connected to this corrupt shinobi world. In a sense, it's what Konoha has always wanted. After rejecting my clan for generations, I'm finally going to wipe it from your memories… BY KILLING EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU! ANY LINK TO THE UCHIHA WILL BE SEVERED AND OUR NAME PURIFIED! THAT'S HOW I'LL REVIVE MY CLAN!_"

Sakura stared at Sasuke in horror, as Ami gritted her teeth in frustration and Naruto made a seal for Kage Bunshin, but Kakashi threw an arm out in front of the blond and his clones.

"This is my job. All of you, get out of here."

"_What?_"

"I don't want you to have to see this."

"_I-!_"

"Sakura, the poison on the kunai you learned from Shizune won't work on Sasuke. Orochimaru would have made sure he'd be immune to it. Besides, you've seen that you can't handle this."

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Kakashi-sensei… _are you going to kill Sasuke?_"

"_LEAVE!_"

A Rasengan-holding Naruto dashed out from under the sensei's arm.

"_YOU'VE LEFT HIM VULNERABLE! I WON'T HESITATE FOR AN INSTANT!_" Sasuke bellowed gleefully.

Sasuke's Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan collided violently, a huge explosion of water following the smashing blows. Both boys flew back as a result of the boom, Naruto being caught by Kakashi, Sasuke by the strange, plant-like Akatsuki that they had earlier seen with the Akatsuki who called himself Tobi, though he only had his white half and no plant-like parts at the moment.

"_I told you to get out of here, Naruto!_" Kakashi shouted.

"Now, I'm certain."

"Of what?" Ami asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" the masked sensei questioned.

The blond ignored the silver-haired man, continuing to stare down the teammate, rival, friend and enemy that Sasuke was.

A spiral appeared to the plant-like Akatsuki's left and Tobi appeared.

"I thought I told you to come back and rest." he grumbled to Sasuke, who glared in response. He turned his head towards Naruto. "…The Kyuubi…" His attention returned to his allies. "When we do fight, it will be in a more suitable place. For now, we retreat."

"Let me handle them. We've gotta catch the Kyuubi sometime, right?" the white Akatsuki said, summoning up several clones of himself from the water below them.

Just as Ami went to jump in front of Naruto, raising a kunai in front of herself, the man with a swirled mask spoke.

"No Zetsu, I don't think you'll be able to capture Naruto. You're not really a front-line fighter, the Kyuubi is too much." They saw his eye seem to narrow from smirking through the eyehole in his mask "We'll leave that hunt to Sasuke… it should be entertaining."

Ami's face darkened like a storm cloud and her grip on her knife tightened.

"Plus, I'm worried about Kisame, go check up on him." the Akatsuki continued, "Join up with your black half on the way."

"Aye-aye, sir."

The blond boy stepped forward.

Kakashi's voice took on a worried tone. "Naruto…"

"I know." the boy cut him off, "But first, there's something I need to say to Sasuke."

Tobi knelt down beside the raven, "Come on, Sasuke." he said quietly.

"Wait." the Uchiha replied.

Despite his surprise, the older man obliged.

"Sasuke, do you remember what you told me, back at the Valley of the End?" the Uzumaki questioned, "About top-class ninja?"

The raven was silent, but it was clear he did.

"One direct clash later, and I understand a lot more. We've become top-class ninja, Sasuke. Both of us. So tell me, did you see what was in my heart? How I really feel? Did you see what'll happen? If we fight again…"

There was silence.

"_We're both gonna die._" Naruto smirked.

Shock filled the faces of the Konoha-Nin, whilst Zetsu just looked slightly confused, and Tobi was silent.

"Our battle will be inevitable if you really do attack the leaf. So keep your hatred, let it fester, and hit me with it, full force. I'm the only one who can bear the full brunt of your hate! It's my job, no one else's! _I'll bear the burden of your hatred, and we'll die together!_"

Sasuke's brow furrowed, and anger filled his face. "_…What? What the fuck is wrong with you? WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT ME SO MUCH?_"

The Jinchuuriki simply grinned at him. "_Because I'm your friend._"

Sasuke looked as though he'd just been slapped across the face.

"Sasuke… we'll never be able to understand each other through words alone. I knew that from the moment I met you. The only way you and I can properly communicate is with our fists. Remember what I said; We're both top-class ninja now!_ I haven't given up, yet!_"

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed as he regained his composure.

"Still…" the blond chuckled, "I'm done ranting at you. Hell, I can barely string a sentence together… I shouldn't be lecturing anyone!" He chuckled. "You know, if we really do take this the whole way, and we both die together, we won't be Uchiha, or Jinchuuriki, or anything. There'll be no more burdens to bear! We'll come to understand each other in the next world!"

Sasuke scowled furiously at his former teammate. "_I will never change! I don't want to understand you, and I won't die, you will!_"

"Enough, Naruto." Kakashi spoke up. "Sasuke may have fallen, but don't let him drag you down too-"

"How could I call myself Hokage if I can't even save one friend?" the whiskered boy interrupted. "_The only person Sasuke's fighting is me!_"

There was a short silence before Sasuke smirked.

"Have it your way. I'll kill _you _first."

"You still haven't accepted me as an equal!" Naruto laughed.

"…Okay," Kakashi said, "Naruto, I'll leave Sasuke to you. Sakura, take care of my body, okay?" The Mangekyou swirled in his scarred eye socket.

"Don't bother, Kakashi." Tobi sighed.

The sensei was taken aback.

"Techniques like that have no effect on me. Let's go Sasuke." he took a step towards Sasuke, and adrenaline flooded Ami's brain.

* * *

Naruto was right. They weren't kids anymore.

* * *

The last time, Naruto was left alive. Naruto was weaker than Sasuke, and according to what the Uchiha had said, he had let Naruto live 'on a whim'.

But now… things were different. The boys were both _at least_ Jounin level. If they clashed again, people would die. They'd _destroy_ each other and everything else in the path of their battle.

Sasuke wasn't on their side anymore. Konoha couldn't handle a war. No matter what feelings she had for Sasuke -and not even she was sure of just what they were- they couldn't let anymore disasters happen just because of one person. And there was no way in hell she was letting anyone kill Naruto.

It was now or never.

* * *

"_YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!_"

She shot for Sasuke, kunai in hand. Somebody screamed, possibly Sakura, but she didn't know. She didn't care. She just wanted this to be over. She just wanted this to be settled. She just wanted Sasuke to stop hurting everyone. And if that meant killing him, then that was what she would do.

Despite being half-blind and mostly-mad, the Uchiha was still a step above her. He was behind her in an instant, and had grabbed and twisted her arm, pinning her with the kunai at her back, his other hand twisted in her hair as he held her head still, muttering to her.

"_Ami…_" he whispered, lips again her ear, scaring the hell out of her with the crazed tone in his voice as he pointed a knife at her back.

Kakashi roared a warning at the boy, but her brain was too flooded with terror to filter the sensei's statement into something coherent.

"_You should understand… your father and mother were killed… one by a foreign ninja, and the other by_ _your own sister_… _Surely you've desired revenge at least once…? Look inside yourself… I'm sure your heart is just as hate-filled as mine…_"

Ami could feel tears of terror welling up in her eyes.

"_Explain to them. Explain why I'm killing them all. They don't understand me… then again, neither do you, do you?_"

She started to shake.

"_DO YOU?_" he demanded, screaming at her, flecks of saliva landing on her cheek.

Kakashi stepped forward and Sasuke dug his fingernails into her face, leaving red marks in her flesh, pressing the kunai harder against her back.

"_One more step and I kill her right here._" he warned.

The sensei hesitantly stepped back.

"…_I'm right, aren't I, Ami?_" he queried, as though he were commenting on the weather. "_I'm right to seek revenge… they killed my brother. Do you know what that's like…? No… of course you don't…_"

The brunette tried to calm herself down, but she wasn't succeeding well. He was far stronger than she was. He could kill her easily if he wanted. And as insane as he was at this particular moment in time… there was a certain amount of truth in what he was saying. She _had_ wanted revenge for her father at first. She _had_ resented Aiko at first. She had convinced herself she was long over it and she knew that she loved Aiko far more than she had ever resented her, but the man speaking in her ear was bringing all the poison in her heart right up to the surface with every syllable he spoke.

In reality, had she actually done nothing more than smother her feelings and block it all out?

It felt like she was going to be sick.

"_It's horrible, you know…_"

Something in Ami's head clicked into place and her face changed at the boy's words.

This was no time to panic.

She slowly began to prepare herself for the one thing she hated most about herself. Something she had never been able to bring herself to tell the muttering boy about, not even back in their Genin days together.

She started leaking Chakra into the raven's body through her back flush against his torso and their touching arms. Their current position was perfect for her Kekkai Genkai to be put to use.

"_I can help you understand, you know…_"

Two seconds down.

"_Will I show you…? Konoha's a mess…_"

That was five.

Tsukunaimen was ready.

"_It'll be easy for me to kill Aiko._"

Any longer that close to him and she'd puke. "_Get the hell away from me._"

Sasuke suddenly turned green and Ami sprung from his weakened grip. The raven dropped to his knees and heaved the contents of his stomach up onto the ground violently.

Ami clapped her hands together and Naruto's eyes widened with horror as he realised what she was planning.

'Naruto… Sakura… Kakashi-sensei… Ino… I'm sorry. I'm sorry to everyone, even you, Sasuke… you crazy bastard… I wish it didn't have to end like this. If it had been possible… I would have liked to have spent a little more time with you… and had more happy memories together. I guess it's too late for that now though, eh? Maybe Naruto's crazy idea will work for us too, though. We'll have eternity, after all. …I hope you'll have forgiven me by the next time we meet.'

"_TSUKU-!_"

"_AMI! DON'T DO IT!_"

In that instant, many things flashed through the brunette's mind; how Sasuke had looked as a Genin, how close Team Seven had been, Sakura crying as she begged Naruto to bring the Uchiha back, the burns on her master's legs, the sad expression the boy had worn when he told her goodbye on his last night in Konoha, along with many other small fragments of dated thoughts, words and memories, and she realised something.

Now matter what Sasuke did, and no matter how hard she tried to make herself want to, there was no way that she could ever bring herself to kill him.

* * *

It was impossible for her to do that.

* * *

But that wasn't the case both ways.

Sasuke began drawing his sword, still looking and feeling tremendously ill, but the rage that burned in his black eyes was paralysing with its intensity. He began to rush at her, but Tobi appeared at his side in an instant, grabbing him and yanking him back by the shoulder.

"If she changes her mind, you're dead. We leave now."

And just like that, the pair vanished in the swirling spiral manufactured by the masked Akatsuki's Sharingan.

Naruto stepped towards Ami, fist raised, face livid, "_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU-!_", then suddenly dropped to the ground, mouth foaming, nose dribbling mucus.

"_It's the cut on his cheek!_" Kakashi shouted.

Sakura was horrified. "_From my poisoned kunai?_"

"_Antidote! ANTIDOTE, GODDAMMIT!_"

* * *

As soon as things calmed down and Naruto was safely remedied, the group began setting up for the return home.

"_Urgh… I still feel like I'm dying…_" the blond boy grumbled, his near-death experience having mostly distracted both him and the others from Ami's displeasing earlier actions.

Kakashi picked up the redhead Sakura had healed and put her on his back.

"We're bringing you to Konoha. Don't try anything." he warned.

"Why would I bother with that now?" the redhead said tiredly, before looking over at the brunette girl beside them.

"I'm Konno Ami… you are…?"

"…Karin."

There was a brief silence, before the spectacled girl spoke again.

"You…"

Ami lifted her eyebrows, listening carefully to the girl's weak voice.

"You… could you walk further away?"

"Huh?"

"Your Chakra… it's really potent… it stinks… like someone who wears too much perfume."

Ami's face turned scarlet. "_Wha-?_"

"It just does, okay? I'll explain later…"

Ami sniffed herself nervously, before glancing at Karin and trotting away to Sakura, who chose that particular moment to remember how pissed off she was with the Konno and dealing her a hard punch to the face.


	34. Tears, Shinobi and War

**Well, hello there. It has been a very long time. Sorry. DX **

_******YOU MAY NOTICE THAT YOU'VE READ SOME OF THIS BEFORE.** _**That is because I uploaded chapter 34 several months ago, then took it down again after a couple of weeks to change a few things. Sorry about that. This whole fanfiction got a bit of a revamp.****  
**

**I originally had a different kind of plan for this chapter, but I decided to change it, and as a happy coincidence, ended up with eleven pages. So, here you are. :D Hope you enjoy.**

**I have my first summer exam for university in two days. I had no Easter break and have spent the last three weeks studying 8-12 hours a day. I decided to cool my head off a bit yesterday evening and wrote some fanfiction. I will have the whole of May off college and to myself, so I'll do some more oneshots then. **

**Thank you all for being so patient! :D**

**I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is purely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from it****.**

* * *

Tears, Shinobi and War

* * *

Akamaru and the boys almost resembled passed-out drunks, lying in the bushes where Kakashi had left them, and Naruto, who had decided that they looked tremendously relaxed, chose to join them, ignoring Sakura's criticism completely.

* * *

"_I feel sick again…_"

"NOW YOU'RE PASSING OUT?!"

The bespectacled girl spoke up quietly from on top of Kakashi's back. "Well… Sakura, right? You were the one who poisoned that kunai, after all…"

The pinkette pouted as Kakashi laughed awkwardly and Ami nodded in agreement, cheek already beginning to swell slightly under her eye from her teammate's earlier blow.

"Karin's right, Sakura." she said shrugging, before flinching slightly as the Medic-Nin barked at her.

"SHUT UP! YOU'VE SCREWED UP PLENTY AS WELL TODAY!"

Naruto began to dribble slightly.

* * *

As soon as everyone was awake, the group began making their way home, ANBU ROOT members showing up in the middle of the trip, asking for confirmation of Danzou's death from Sai, before spilling everything about ROOT and Danzou to Kakashi.

Once back at Konoha, Naruto reacted exactly as the others had predicted to the news of the decision to assassinate Sasuke; searching for excuses for them ('them' being everyone but him) not to fight.

* * *

"Naruto, you're not trying to convince us to let you handle this so you can turn around and protect Sasuke, are you?" Shikamaru queried, glaring at the blond, thoroughly unimpressed.

"No… Trust me, I won't defend him."

"If Sasuke was so weakened from fighting at the Kage Summit and Danzou, then why didn't you just finish him off then?" Neji asked, arms folded.

"_Madara was there, too!_" Sakura reminded them, bristling at the branch Hyuuga.

Ami's eyes widened in surprise at the name, realising instantly the true identity of the mysterious stranger known as 'Tobi'.

"_It wasn't that simple!_"

"He couldn't have just slipped away!" Kiba argued, "Naruto, you're as strong as they come! You're already a legend for kicking the crap out of Pein! Sasuke wouldn't have stood-!"

"You're wrong…" the whiskered boy interrupted quietly. "I can't defeat Sasuke at his current level… I just knew…"

"_What do you mean?_" Chouji asked, shocked.

"I mean that I can't let any of you face Sasuke. _I'm the only one who can fight him._"

Surprise rippled around the group.

"I really don't agree with that." Ami frowned.

"_What in the world happened? _You have to tell us." Neji demanded.

"I will. When the time is right."

'…_Does he mean the double suicide he told Sasuke about back at the bridge?_' Ami wondered, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end at the mere idea of both the boys being killed.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm starving! I'll be at Ichiraku!"

The others frowned as they watched the boy leave, arms in the air, hands on the back of his head, fingers interlocked.

* * *

Karin had been sent off to be interrogated about Sasuke and Kabuto, and Kakashi was thankful to be relieved of the responsibility of becoming Hokage as Tsunade awoke from her coma, and just in time, at that.

* * *

A war was beginning.

* * *

There was a knock at the door, and Ami allowed Haruka to answer it, not particularly feeling like doing much at the moment.

Murmured speech could be heard in the hallway. A series of footsteps and the sound of someone entering pulled the girl from her daze, and she turned slightly, brow furrowing at the sight of her teacher, who had just returned from a mission in the Snow Country.

Sora glared straight at Ami, and the young kunoichi felt a shiver of terror go tingling up her spine at the look in the older woman's eyes.

Ami felt the tension in the room increase tenfold with the quiet thud of the shoji sliding shut and hastily vanishing steps outside.

"_There are no words for how disgusted I am with you right now._"

The girl was silent.

The dark-skinned woman's eyes narrowed even further. "_Mind telling me just what the hell was going through your head?_"

Ami simply shrugged, and felt pain shoot through the back of her head when Sora leapt at her, grabbed her by the front of her shirt and slammed her against the wall.

A few books fell off a shelf.

"_DON'T SCREW ME AROUND!_" she barked.

Ami froze in her grip, shocked at the rage in her teacher's tone. She'd never heard that emotion so intensely in the black woman's voice before. Ever.

The woman continued, glaring and snarling right in the petrified Ami's face, fist still twisted in the front of her blue shirt. "_Half-assing things this important is disgraceful! You've been telling me for the past three years that you were going to get Sasuke back to Konoha, and then out of the blue, you decide to kill him, and then you can't even do that! I thought you were serious about this! I didn't train you to have this kind of weak, easily-broken spirit! GROW A PAIR, ALREADY!_" Sora banged her student against the wall again, then roughly released Ami, throwing the kunoichi to the floor.

The blue-eyed girl stared up, wide-eyed at her teacher.

Sora stepped back, still glaring at her student. "_You had better sort your head out, or you can forget about ever achieving anything in your life. Figure it out; What's more important to you, and how are you going to go about protecting it._" Sora folded her arms, scowling at her student, but eventually smoothing her brow just slightly, though still glaring as she said; "Sakura may cry more than you do, Ami… but bottling it up until you're about ready to go insane is far worse. Have a sob once in a while. Sit down and have a wail. Your mental state will improve dramatically. As is, you're a _fucking mess_. Just _please_, for the love of _god_, get over yourself and this emotional constipation you've decided to give yourself. You're like some sort of _masochist_. …It's tiresome. For _everyone_."

The girl dropped her gaze to the floor. She tried to speak, but barely managed to mumble a weak, cracked; "…I…understand…"

"_Thank god for that..._" The black woman lingered a moment before making her way over to the door. "I'll leave you to it."

The shoji slid shut, and the women were separated once again.

And at long last, finally swallowing her pride and bringing up all the sadness, confusion, frustration, rage, hate, and all of the utter chaos that twisted, knotted and burned inside her, Ami cried.

She cried for Konoha's ruin.

She cried for Naruto.

She cried for Sakura.

She cried for Sasuke.

She cried for herself.

And she cried for a very long time.

* * *

The alliance fell through, and now all five of the great countries had joined forces to form the Joint Shinobi Army, even going as far as changing their forehead protectors. Rather than the emblems of each of the villages, they all united under a single symbol; the character 'shinobi'.

* * *

Kankuro was captain of the Ambush Company Squad, where Sai was stationed.

Shizune had Sakura and many other Medic-Nin under her in the Medical Logistics Company.

Ino's father, Yamanaka Inoichi, lead one of the Sensor Company squads, a man from Kirigakure in the water country, Ao, commandeering the second.

Gaara was general of the Joint Shinobi Army.

There were five fighter divisions; midrange, close range, close/midrange, long range, and special ops, respectively lead by Darui from the lightning country, Kitsuchi from the earth country, Hatake Kakashi, Gaara and Mifune, a samurai.

Ami had found herself working under Kakashi, and admittedly had felt slight relief at this. At least something would be constant in this turbulence. Ayano Sora had been placed in the long-range division.

* * *

People were gathering weapons, working out strategies, and sharpening knives and hardening their hearts all around. Mothers, fathers and children were splitting up left, right and centre, the parents going off to fight as the elderly and potential orphans were stored away safely -they hoped- , the adults knowing full well that the next day, or even that night, they may well end up dead, and hoping to god that their children didn't.

Everyone was doing their best to prepare, but really, how does one prepare for a disaster such as war? You can say all the possible farewells and 'I love you's, you can train and practise, you can make all kinds of promises, and you can set your soul on your objectives, but loss will still cause grief and pain, blows will still hurt, promises will be broken and people will snap under the incredible pressure that is true battle.

* * *

Miku had bawled when they parted ways, Junko looking as though she was soon to follow suit, Kotone and Aiko hugging each other and sobbing as both their sisters left prepared for deaths of all natures and kinds. Once again, the brunette girl had gone back to her stubborn way of holding in tears and smothering emotions, just as Haruka did beside her.

She had trained every day that she was physically able, and even some days that she wasn't quite fit for it. She had said her goodbyes to Aiko and whispered words she wished were reality, telling comforting lies she hoped to fabricate into truth; 'I'll definitely come back, I won't die.'

Fake words hidden under a pat on the head and a smile that was just a little too forced.

She was just as likely to die as anyone else, and Aiko knew that, so why bother with the untruths?

Because Aiko was too young, too kind, too _pure_ for the agonising blood-bath of battle.

Ami was the big sister.

Ami was the kunoichi.

Ami was the one whose job it was to cut down foes with no hesitation.

Ami was the one to fight in this war.

And if she was to die, then she'd be sure to bring down as many of the enemy as she could with her.

But it wasn't until the Konno was standing beside her comrades, some familiar, some not so familiar, reading the map and listening carefully as the plan was explained that finally, _it sank in_:

War was here.

Not 'would be here someday'.

Not 'coming'.

Not even 'tomorrow'.

_War was their reality, here and now._

And from that point on,_ people were going to die._

The Fourth Great Ninja War had arrived.

* * *

Naruto was being kept in the dark about the fact that the war was beginning and had been hidden away safely along with the Hachibi, Killer Bee, from Kumogakure in the Country of Lightning, something everyone but him knew. The reason for this was, of course, that Naruto being the stubborn, strong, hard-head he was, if he had caught even a slip of information about the war, or anything suspicious at all, for that matter, he'd be out of the hiding place within minutes, making a beeline for the very action they were trying to protect him from. As Jinchuuriki, if he and Killer Bee were captured, then the giant, Bijuu-powered statue that Akatsuki had once used both to extract the Bijuu of and kill Gaara with would be fully activated, and capable of god-only-knows what. No matter how great a pair of weapons the shinobi could be, it was agreed that their protection came first.

* * *

They had all gathered to listen to Gaara's speech.

Two men began arguing in front of the close/midrange squad, and Ami's eyes narrowed as the sand and stone shinobi bickered. Their eyebrows rose at the sight of a small sphere of sand forming between them, then exploding, hitting both men in the face. (The Kazekage's doing, obviously.)

Gaara's voice, calm but strong and clear, boomed through the air.

"_Three times now_, we've fought world wars for our own nations, our own villages. We've hurt one another. We've hated one another. That hatred bred a lust for power, and that lust for power created _me_. I was a Jinchuuriki, the _embodiment_ of hatred and power. And I _hated_ this world and all the people in it… I wanted to destroy it with my own hands. The exact same thing that Akatsuki is trying to do today. But _one man_, _one ninja, _from Konohagakure _stopped me!_" The Kazekage paused a moment, the allowed his voice to rise. "_I was his enemy, yet he wept for me! I hurt him, yet he called me his friend! He saved me! My enemy, my fellow Jinchuuriki! He suffered the same pain as me, yet bore no ill will! There are no enemies here, because we have all suffered at Akatsuki's hand! There is no sand, no stone, no leaf, no mist and no cloud! There are only shinobi! And if you still hold a grudge against the sand, then when this war is over, come and take my head instead!_"

Shock filled the faces of the men who had been fighting at the Kazekage's words, and the two shinobi fell silent as Gaara continued;

"_Our enemies are after the friend who saved my life! If they take him, if we hand him over, our world is finished! I want to protect him, and I want to protect our world! But I'm too young to protect it all on my own! SO ALL OF YOU, PLEASE LEND ME YOUR AID!_"

Those of the sand whooped and cheered the loudest for their leader, the stone shinobi shyly apologising to the sand, who returned the sheepish words.

"That man has changed…" Haruka said quietly beside her, and Ami nodded in agreement, a small smile spreading across her face as she looked up at the redhead, still rallying the thunderously loud, applauding audience.

"_EVERYONE WHO'S WITH ME, LET'S GO!_"

* * *

The army had split up into their respective divisions and raced towards their assigned places, which they had been run through on the maps of their captains.

* * *

Their group had stopped to wait for the signal to move. They were to be second in the line of offence, the ambush squad being in front.

A red flare went off in the distance, and Kakashi called out to the squads. "That's the Ambush Squadron! Let's roll!"

* * *

They quickly met up with the close range fighter division.

* * *

"Are there enemies nearby?" Kiba asked.

"Yes." Neji confirmed, watching with activated Byakugan as two shinobi performed an Earth Element technique, slamming their hands down onto the ground.

Thousands upon thousands of white bodies spewed up out of a massive swelling in the soil, and the united shinobi rushed for the enemy, tearing into them mercilessly.

Through the confusion, Kakashi noticed Sai and two other shinobi falling from the sky as the former ROOT member's bird turned to splatters of ink.

He called the first three people from his division that he saw. "_Sakura! Ami! Lee! Come with me!_"

* * *

The young shinobi were unprepared for the sight they were met with.

Zabuza, Haku, and two other talented, but still _dead _shinobi stood before them, plain as day, and definitely not illusions. The only thing signalling they were not of this world was the fact that the whites of their eyes were black.

"Kakashi-san! You saved us!" Sai breathed, breath misting in the cold air, which had chilled due to Haku's technique, tiny snowflakes falling all around. The silver-haired man stood in front of him, blocking Zabuza's weapon.

"It's a little early to be celebrating." the sensei frowned under his mask, "All of these guys are extremely dangerous."

"I knew I'd end up fighting someone, but I never imagined it'd be you, Kakashi." the former Demon of the Mist said, "I should've been sent to hell after your group finished me on that bridge. Next thing I know, I'm standing next to Haku. And I _thought_ something was off… I guess this really _isn't_ hell… or heaven."

"No, this is the real world, and none of you belong here anymore."

Sakura's mouth had opened slightly and Ami felt the hair stand on the back of her neck as she remembered their battle at the bridge.

The deceased Missing-Nin turned his attention to the girls of Team Kakashi, whom he hadn't seen in years. "Heh… Kakashi's kunoichi students… you both sure grew up, didn't you? How's that other kid? He doing okay?"

Ami could only gape, but despite her shock, Sakura managed a reply, even if disjointed.

"Wha? Ah-umm… Yeah…"

"He must be pretty famous these days, after helping you beat the two of us…"

"Yeah, they named that bridge the 'Great Naruto Bridge' and the villagers call him a hero." Kakashi informed the pair.

Haku laughed quietly.

"Thanks to you two, Naruto found his own path in life…" the masked sensei said, "his own 'Ninja Way' and swore to you both on your graves that he'd always follow it. And he did. He's become an admirable shinobi."

"Then I'm sure that he'll continue to grow even stronger." Haku smiled.

Suddenly, there was a huge rise in the killing intent in the air, and Zabuza's brow twitched. "_Kakashi…_" he grunted, "_Please… stop us._"

The minds of the resurrected shinobi were fading fast, and they were quickly becoming killing machines fueled by masses of bloodlust.

"That hellish aura…" Gai growled, "The Demon Zabuza! And an Ice-Element user!"

"_Get ready!_" Kakashi ordered, "Stay focused, Gai, Zabuza's killing prowess is second to none!"

Haku turned towards the silver-haired man, frowning "Kakashi-san… I must ask you… to please stop us… again. My dream was to protect… to _save_ Zabuza-san. And die… as his tool. If Zabuza-san has also been summoned with this technique… then I… must have failed… on that day… and now… I cannot even be his tool… much less defend him."

"No, you saved his life." Kakashi said firmly, "Zabuza died for another reason… and… he didn't just view you as a tool."

The dead boy's eyes widened in shock as he turned to look at his old master.

"Kakashi… shut the hell up…" the mist demon snarled, before his mouth slowly twitched into a slight, sharp-toothed smile. "…Heh… that was… my first loss… _Kakashi_, don't hold back. Stop me… whatever it takes… I'm already dead._ My humanity is dead!_"

Haku wiped away a snowflake that landed under his eye as a tear slipped out the other side.

Just then, the last of their control vanished.

"Here they come!"

"General Kakashi, the man from the hidden stone has a bloodline limit, Blast Element! And the woman is Paku, of Sunagakure, she uses the Scorch Element!" informed one of the shinobi. "Please be careful!"

Zabuza brought up a thick mist, and Ami swore under her breath as her divining abilities quickly became heavily disabled.

"_Group the battle squadrons around the sensor ninja!_" Kakashi ordered, "_Everyone else cover them in a three, six, nine and twelve o'clock manji formation! Zabuza can detect his target's location through sound alone!_"

Sakura, Kakashi, Lee and Guy leapt into form as Ami joined the others in defending against the duo and protecting the sensors.

* * *

After a few minutes of duelling, things went from bad to worse as the enemy made several summons, bringing six tombs up out of the ground. The fronts fell off the coffins and the hair rose on the backs of their necks at the sight of the Seven Legendary Swordsmen, including Zabuza, all lined up and ready to fight, though without their swords.

None of their attacks did anything to the swordsmen and their enemy's lack of weapons was quickly assisted with a summoning, giving four of the seven their swords.

Kakashi speedily formulated a plan for dealing with Zabuza; Nara Ensui would use shadow bind on Kakashi, though loosening it so that the sensei could move as he wished. One of the Yamanaka clan would then switch places with the Hatake, using his sensing abilities to get the silver-haired sensei as close to Zabuza as possible after detecting him, then releasing the technique to give Kakashi back control. Kakashi would attack and get his and the swordsman's shadows to converge. As soon as that happened, Ensui would combine the Shadow Stitch and the Shadow Mimic, then raise the power to bind Zabuza completely, at which point, Maki, a shinobi from Suna, would rush in and immobilise Zabuza with the Cloth-Binding jutsu. Those remaining decided to guard Kakashi as he fought.

* * *

That was the plan. However, things didn't quite go that way, and a sickening bout of deja vu was about to be experienced by the girls of Team Kakashi and the leader himself.

Haku threw himself in front of Kakashi's Raikiri, taking the blow full in the chest, straight through the heart, and the former Demon of the Mist moved to cut them both down. Kakashi, for the second time in his life, leapt back with the dead Haku in his arms, the Executioner's Blade slashing at them both.

Haku was the only one who was hacked in half, and his body turned to confetti-like material before falling to the ground and instantly setting about reforming.

"I'm glad you two were Naruto's first opponents." the masked man panted, a bead of sweat dripping down his brow. "Zabuza… when you moved to cut through Haku, you hesitated for a moment. You couldn't hide how completely anguished you were over his death."

The swordsman rushed for him.

"But this time is different! You're nothing more than emotionless tools. _It's time to end these fights!_" the sensei growled, running at Zabuza, hand crackling with blue electricity.

* * *

The giant sword went spiralling through the air, landing in the ground just beside Haku, and Zabuza's sliced off hand dropped to the floor with a thud, Kakashi's arm stuck through the mist ninja's chest.

"_ENSUI! NOW!_"

The Nara's eyes widened and he instantly followed the instructions from earlier, Maki dashing in moments later, wrapping the resurrected men in cloth, then sealing them in with paper seals.

"As long as the seals remain intact, they can't be summoned again." the kunoichi from Suna said.

The fog cleared.

"Impure World Resurrection… its use can never be forgiven… _Sai!_" Kakashi called, lifting Zabuza's blade, "_Next, we'll need your Root sealing techniques, follow my lead!_"

"_But I don't know how-!_"

"_I know you were one of Danzou's most prized soldiers! There's no more need to hold back your emotions! _Look, it takes a lot to get me worked up, but this time, my boiling point's as low as it's ever been… Kakashi the Copy-Nin, the man who copied over a thousand techniques, _is about to go on a rampage!_"

* * *

Everyone was exhausted, the stench of blood, sweat and death thick in the air, bloody, battered corpses littering the ground. The Joint Shinobi Army had lost forty-thousand of its eighty-thousand shinobi. On the other hand, Akatsuki had lost fifty-thousand of its hundred-thousand fighters.

* * *

Sai concentrated on drawing a huge tiger on a scroll as Kakashi charged Zabuza's abandoned sword full of lightning and sliced through one of the resurrected swordsmen, whose body turned to a papery substance around where he had been wounded.

"_SAI, NOW!_" he bellowed, and the boy brought the tiger to life with a quick hand seal, the image leaping off the page and charging for the enemy, grabbing hold of him in it's teeth before returning to the scroll, the new image being of the creature standing on top of the swordsman, a massive paw crushing down on his neck. One was sealed.

"Just three more!" Gai said.

"You alright Sai?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah… I can still go on." the raven replied, panting.

"Just relax and draw!" Ami called.

"Yeah! I'll protect you!" Lee exclaimed, energetic as ever.

Just then, there was a slight rumbling noise, before a flurry of white bodies came flooding out from the trees, every last one exactly identical.

'So they're the ones Inoichi told us about…' Ami though, remembering the telepathically-sent message Ino's father had broadcast to everyone in the Joint Shinobi Army.

* * *

Akatsuki had been sneaking strange, white fighters into their united forces to take out ninja, especially medics, from the inside. Their transformations were flawless, copying everything, right down to Chakra signatures of those they impersonated. This bred naught but unrest between the forces, and just as Akatsuki planed, disrupted things hugely; even healing the injured turning into a fiasco at the prospect that any patient could be an assassin.

* * *

"The enemy's reinforcements…" Kakashi said thoughtfully.

"Let's clean them up, Kakashi!" Gai yelled.

A yellow figure, body ablaze with Chakra the colour of the sun landed in front of them, and Ami's eyes widened when she caught sight of the newcomer's face and she smiled despite herself. 'He shouldn't be here, but I'm glad he is.'

"_Naruto's here!_" Lee cried, thrilled at the sight of his friend. "That means he can use his shadow clones!"

"I can't do that in my current condition." Naruto said, "Instead, I'm going to settle this with quality over quantity!"

* * *

Narutos' new form seemed to have given him incredible strength along with several new powers, and besides that, his mere presence was a big encouragement to the shinobi.

* * *

They were winning.

* * *

Enemy after enemy fell before the Konno, and Ami's lips pulled back into a snarl as she turned round and was met with her own face leering back at her.

"_You have some nerve transforming into me._"

"_I could say the same to you._" the impostor sneered.

She rushed at her doppleganger and the pair of them exchanged blows for several seconds, before Ami dug an elbow into the collarbone of her copy, as the clone sliced the skin on her side with a thin jet of water.

Her eyes widened as the fake cried out in a whiny voice to her teammate; "_Lee! Help!_"

The bowl-cut boy instantly span round and came running over.

"_NO!_" the real girl bellowed, and the fuzzy-browed boy froze, suddenly unsure of how to act, when he had no idea who was actually Ami.

"The fake! It's the one on the left, Lee!" Naruto yelled.

"_My left or your left?!_" the boy cried, absolutely flustered.

A vein bulged in Ami's temple before she grabbed her copy by the back of the head and simultaneously shoved it down while thrusting her knee up to meet it. Following the kneecap facial, she slammed a fist into the impostor's gut, sending them reeling back before barking at Lee; "_I'm the real one! And since when do I WHINE for help?!_"

The unfortunate boy quickly turned back around.

* * *

They had now sealed all but the final Edo-Tensei of the Seven Swordsmen, all others having been sealed by either Maki's cloth-binding or Sai's ROOT techniques.

They turned to their final opponent, and a telepathically-transmitted command sounded in their brains from Inoichi;

"_Attention Squads One, Two and Three! You are to rendezvous with Naruto and Bee as soon as you finish what you're doing! They're fighting the resurrected Jinchuuriki and need your help!_"

'Roger that.' the brunette thought in response, frowning at their final opponent.

He had thunder in his sword.

Sai dropped cross-legged to the ground with a scroll and ink, and quickly flitted his brush across the page to create an image of two fierce lions.

"Wait for my signal." Kakashi ordered, and the boy nodded in response, hands clasped in a sign at the ready.

They shot for him.

Kakashi took several swings at the man, chasing him over towards the Konno, who began making seals.

However, the swordsman had other plans, and her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the bolt-filled metal swinging towards her face, almost seeming to be moving in slow motion, before a small voice screamed at her from somewhere inside her head.

'_GUARD!_'

Kaze Engo whipped up around her and the revived swordsman's arm was shredded to pieces as he was dragged across the swirling sphere before being flung away like a rag doll. His sword went flying away through the air to land stuck upright in the ground, several metres away. Ami dropped the technique and Lee started to whoop, but his cheering was cut short as the swordsman's arm quickly reformed out of thin air and he raced for his sword, the brunette girl ducking as he swiped at her head with a fist on the way, then dodging a shower of icy spikes she fired at him. The living corpse lifted the weapon from the dirt, pulling clumps of dirt up with it, the blade glinting menacingly from between the earth. He swung for the kunoichi, bringing the sword down onto the place she had stood barely a second earlier, before leaping out of the way. Kakashi flew at the man, blocking his sword with a kunai and taking a swing at him with a fist, hitting him hard enough to break his jaw with an audible crack. As was always the way with any injuries inflicted on Edo-Tensei warriors, though, the damage was quickly repaired.

Lee dashed at the man, swinging at him with arms, legs, fists and feet left right and centre, some blows being blocked, others dodged, the few that landed being more than enough to knock the man off balance. Ami came around from the other side, swinging at the enemy with an icicle bat. She was horrified to have the freezing weapon knocked from her hand in an instant. An elbow collided with her chest just below her ribcage and she flew several feet before hitting the ground, gasping for air, diaphragm spasming from the blow to her solar plexus. The man ran towards her, sword raised, snarling as he went to swing it.

Kakashi flicked a kunai at the man, slicing several hairs from beside his face. It was enough to distract him so that Ami could dodge the resurrected man's next attack by rolling out of the way. Lee got him in the jaw with an almighty punch, sending him sailing across the earth to Sai, who was ready and waiting with a scroll.

"SAI! NOW!" Kakashi barked.

The dark-haired boy clapped his hand in a seal, and beasts of ink shot from his page to wrap around the enemy.

The image of the lions sinking their teeth into the arms and legs of their enemy blazed black on the pale yellow paper.

Kakashi helped the coughing brunette to her feet.

"That's the last swordsman." Kakashi said.

"_Thank… god…_" she wheezed.

* * *

While most of the three divisions that were set to assist Naruto and Killer Bee had stayed back from the site of the battle of the Bijuu, planning to quickly attend to other affairs before joining them later, Gai and Kakashi had insisted on going on ahead to aid Naruto, rushing towards the battle site of Naruto, Bee, Madara and the revived Jinchuuriki.

The divisions all had powerful enemies to defeat, some grouping together in their attacks, but eventually, every fight finished, and the alliance started to regroup, everyone heading towards the site of Naruto's battle with the Bijuu as reinforcements.

* * *

As Ami flew through the trees, Sai and Lee beside her, a message from Inoichi in the Sensory Company Squads sounded in everyone's heads.

"_News from the HQ! The conditions are good at the reinforcement point, meaning Uzumaki Naruto is holding his ground! Naruto and Bee-dono, who we're here to protect, are currently fighting with all their heart on the front lines! The same goes for Kakashi and Gai! We want you all to join them! Everyone's powerful feelings coming together... will foretell our victory!_"

"If only it wasn't raining..." Sai frowned, "I could have sent my Choujuu Giga to him."

"Stop complaining and speed up, Sai-san!" Lee said, determined as ever, "Now's the time for us to charge forward and respond to the heroic efforts of Gai-sensei and Naruto-kun!"

"You said it, Lee!" Ami called, grinning despite herself.

"Mmm..." Sai smiled at the bowl-cut boy, clearly agreeing.

* * *

The first thing they noticed was the gigantic mass of tentacles and a horned ox head that was the Eight-Tails. The bijuu was flying backwards through the air and slammed into the earth, kicking up dust and causing tremors under their feet.

Ami momentarily gripped the branch she stood on with Chakra to steady herself, before instantly continuing towards the combat, as did several others.

Bee had gone into a full transformation with the Hachibi. Two other gargantuan forms were visible, one being the huge, horrible form that was the Ten-Tails.

A huge, red eye marked with six tomoe on the inner two concentric rings around the pupil bulged madly from its head and a blood-chilling shriek bellowed from its gaping mouth past several rows of long, white teeth. A tower of spikes loomed on its back, and ten thick tails hammered the ground behind it, throwing up dust. It was ten times the size of the other Bijuu.

The other gigantic form appeared to be an incomplete Kyuubi transformation, bent over the shrinking Hachibi. The fox's body blazed with bright orange Chakra, black markings down its back, arms and tail.

* * *

"Is that Naruto?!" Kiba exclaimed, eyes wide, "Did he lose control of the Kyuubi?"

Initially worried for the state of her friend, Ami then noticed the lack of murderous intent in the air, not to mention that the fox showed no signs of rage or violence.

"Actually, it looks like he's in control of it!" Ami said, thrilled.

"As expected of Naruto-kun!" Lee beamed.

"When did he learn to do that?!" Sai wondered aloud.

"Who cares?!" Kiba grinned, "Let's just be thankful!" Akamaru barked in agreement.

Sai smiled. "I suppose you're right."

The Kyuubi transformation suddenly dissipated and although Bee had released his Bijuu's full form, the tailed beast began to shrink and disappear, a clear sign that it had exhausted itself for the moment.

"That's not good." Ami frowned.

"We better hurry!" Sai said.

The Ten-Tails began to form a Bijuudama, black and white Chakra condensing into a ball in its maw.

"_SHIT!_" Kiba snarled.

"There's no way they can dodge!"

"And no way it can miss!"

'_Not when we're so close to helping them!_' Ami thought desperately, '_Not now!_'

The bomb was unleashed, and sliced through several mountains like they were soft butter. Incredibly, it missed, gouging the land about three hundred metres away from the men.

Hinata and Ino landed beside Naruto, and the Ami was close enough behind to catch their explanation; 'They were able to break in just two seconds for a perfect Shintenshin done with the Hyuuga's support!'

"Don't act tough just because Hinata is here, Naruto!" Kiba smirked, landing behind him on Akamaru's back beside Shino.

Those of the Aburame clan instantly cast a Mushi Jamming no jutsu as several shinobi from the mist cast Kirigakure no jutsu.

"Good, now they won't be able to sense us so easily." Shikamaru said, landing beside Killer Bee with Karui, Omoi and a battle-slimmed Chouji.

"We're here, Naruto!" the Akimichi smiled.

"Bee-sama! You're doing better than we thought!" Karui beamed.

"Bee-sama! So you're not seriously wounded!"

Gai and Kakashi were also quickly surrounded by comrades eager to check on them.

"Gai-sensei, did you use Hirudora?!" Lee asked.

"Sorry for being late, Kakashi-taichou." Sai said.

"Sakura-chan, first of all-!" Naruto started.

"I know!" the girl said, instantly setting about healing the sensei.

One by one, every division arrived within seconds of one another, each announcing their arrival.

The medics instantly set about healing and after about a minute, the divisions had reorganised and rearranged themselves.

"We're not a disorderly alliance any more!" Naruto called out from within their cover.

The fog obscuring the army was cleared away to reveal the army, determined and defiant.

"Shinobi Alliance no jutsu!" the Uzumaki called, "It's a super amazing jutsu, the strongest one that ever existed in the shinobi world! And it can win against the infinite Tsukiyomi! Keep it in mind!"


	35. Loss, Allies and Madmen

_**MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! **_

**READ THE MANGA AND GET COMPLETELY UP TO DATE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SERIOUSLY KICK YOURSELF LATER. **

**I'M SERIOUS GUYS, YOU WILL BREAK YOUR OWN ASS.  
**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Loss, Allies and Madmen

* * *

"The Shinobi Alliance jutsu, eh?" Madara frowned, "That's quite a forced interpretation."

"We'll stop you with this technique." Naruto said confidently.

"You're wrong." a black haired man said, glaring at the boy through mismatched eyes, half of his face heavily scarred. "Why can't you understand that stopping us is useless?"

From his eyes, clothing and weapon, Ami recognised him to be the mysterious ninja previously known as 'Tobi'.

'So someone finally got that mask off his face. I thought he was supposed to be Madara, but that's definitely Madara standing beside him.' she thought, thoroughly confused as she glared at the pair before them. 'And it looks like Madara's been revived with Edo Tensei, but he's still here while all the other revived people were released from the technique a while ago. What's going on?'

A message from the sensory squad sounded in everyone's heads. Ami listened carefully, as did everyone else, as they were told the attack plan and the true identity of the dark-haired man before them who had called himself Tobi.

Uchiha Obito.

'Kakashi-sensei's old teammate?!' Ami thought, her jaw dropping slightly. '_I thought he was dead!_' She gritted her teeth. 'Another Uchiha... they're a troublesome family if nothing else.'

"Your jutsu will dissolve as soon as this war is over, and then someone will try to do what we're doing now again." Obito scowled, "You can't win no matter how hard you struggle. By now you should know that there is no hope in this world!"

"_I don't care what you think! There is in my opinion!_" Naruto barked.

The army behind him smiled, clearly in sound agreement with the Uzumaki.

"It's useless to argue over that during a battle. Let's get this over with." Madara sighed.

"When people have different opinions, you should apply the majority rule." Naruto grinned, "What do we do?"

"Nice proposal." Obito said, "...Then we will decide after exterminating everyone."

"So that's your choice..." Naruto began, "But..."

Naruto and Obito shouted simultaneously.

"_This world will end!_"

"_This world won't end!_"

The army charged at the duo and the Juubi. The plan was clear.

The alliance were to keep making the first move and prevent the enemy from counterattacking. With such powerful eyes at the enemies' disposal, they needed a distraction to slow their movements and impair their vision.

Those of Kumogakure instantly started on this task with a pair of techniques that both generated large bursts of light, dazzling their enemies.

Mist generated by shinobi from Kirigakure, insects from jamming techniques and dust kicked up by the lightning techniques were also used to further disable their opponents, Sunagakure's ninja using wind techniques to keep the vision-obstructing materials held aloft and concentrated around the enemy.

This chaotic cover completely blinded their enemy, as well as making the alliance impossible to sense.

The Juubi, on the other hand, was far too big to hide.

The next order from the sensors was for those of Iwagakure.

Gigantic pillars of stone rose from the earth, trapping the Juubi within them. Lime was quickly poured, mist ninja added water, and those of the Sarutobi clan in Konoha heated the mixture with fire to quickly harden the cement mixture and further impair the beast's movement.

The sensors continued to give instructions; 'If we don't stop the Juubi first, we won't be able to attack Obito and Madara. The Juubi is their tool to activate the jutsu. They're the minds behind it, so if we stop them, the infinite Tsukiyomi will probably stop too! However, we can't restrain the Juubi's power for long.'

The cement around the ten-tails was already beginning to crack.

'Only physical attacks work on Madara. Those who are skilled at Taijutsu should attack him. Obito is able to make any attack slip through him, but according to my information, it's only for five minutes. Coordinate with the medical team and make your attack last longer than five minutes!'

'Guess I'm going for Obito.' Ami thought, pumping Chakra into the water of both flasks on her hips, readying the aqua for battle. 'I can't go too far too fast, though. The medics can't help me, after all.' She joined the rest of the alliance as they rushed for the Juubi and the pair of Uchiha atop its head.

In an instant, the ten-tails broke loose from its prison, knocking the attacking shinobi back.

Ami hissed in pain as she pushed herself back up, ignoring the large graze on her thigh where she had landed, along with several other superficial injuries. She and the other shinobi looked up to see that the form of the Juubi had altered significantly.

Its form had changed from that of a fused body and head to a more anthropomorphic body shape. Its body was terribly bony, with a narrow waist and thin limbs. One arm had yet to fully form, stopping just before the elbow. The tower of spikes on its back had now swollen to a bulb-like shape, and the end of each of its ten tails now had a hand-like conformation. Horns and a single ear had sprouted from the monster's crown as its mouth twisted over to one side of its head.

'_How are we supposed to stop this thing?!_' Ami thought frantically, shuddering as it threw its head back in a terrible shriek, a bead of sweat running down her brow. '_All five nations pulled off such a perfect combination, and it just knocked us back like nothing! This isn't even its final form, it's missing an arm and three tomoe in its eye!_'

A well-timed earth technique suddenly lifted the ground under one of the creature's feet, throwing off the aim of the demon as it fired a huge, black energy mass. This blast hit the earth miles away beyond the horizon, its position only distinguishable from the gargantuan explosion it caused that lifted debris miles up into the air, on a whole other level than the Bijuudama.

Staggering slightly, it fired another shot that flattened an entire landscape, then a third that destroyed a distant town in an instant.

Everyone was asking themselves the same thing; Why was it only aiming for far-off places?

As they realised, it was as though a wave of horror had washed over the alliance, chilling them to the bone.

Nobody was safe. Not shinobi, not civilians, not feudal lords... just about any person could be killed where they stood.

It fired again.

'_We have to stop that thing!_'

A message from the sensors sounded in their minds.

'Everyone, listen to me.'

The entire alliance paid careful attention as Shikaku quickly and clearly explained his strategy for stopping the Juubi.

There were several seconds of silence, then a distant boom coincided with the communication's cease.

'That last bomb must have hit them... Shikamaru's father and Ino's father were both in there... as were many other people...' Ami thought, looking at the Nara and Yamanaka with concern.

Shikamaru's teeth were gritted and tears streamed silently down Ino's face.

"Shikamaru-" Chouji began, but the boy friend interrupted him.

"_We're in a battle._" the brunette said. "No unnecessary comments now. ...same goes for Ino. We're gonna do what my father said."

"...What... does this mean?" Naruto asked, eyes wide with shock.

"That you're the key of the strategy." Neji explained, jumping down to beside the Uzumaki.

"_Not that!_" Naruto cried, "_I mean; what happened to Shikaku and Inoichi?_"

The Hyuuga glanced beyond the blond, Byakugan activated, and rushed past him towards the sight of one of the Juubi's tails crashing down on several shinobi.

Hinata's father joined him.

"_Neji! Spin right!_" Hiashi cried.

"_Yes!_" the boy agreed.

Together the pair began their individual Hakkeshou Kaiten jutsu and deflected the tail away.

"Wow..." Naruto gasped, "The Hyuuga are really strong, and Neji's a real genius..."

"It's the leaf Hyuuga's technique." one of the men commented, "We had a hard time against them in the war."

"_Don't space out, Naruto!_" Hiashi barked, "_We're in a battle and we're fighting! Some people might die! _But if we lose this fight..._ everyone will die!_"

Naruto nodded firmly. "Of course... I know."

Neji spoke up. "I'm sure that Shikamaru and Ino's fathers are happy that as shinobi, they could pass away before their children... like my father."

There was a moment of quiet as Hiashi silently acknowledged his own involvement in Hizashi's death to himself, well aware that his nephew said what he had, not out of bitterness towards the main branch, but out of pride for his father's selfless actions to protect those dear to him.

"For this strategy to be successful, we need your power, Naruto." Neji continued.

"We will protect Naruto-kun to the end!" Hinata added, moving to beside her cousin and father, ready to fight with the men.

"Hinata!" the Uzumaki gasped.

"Be careful! The Hyuuga are the strongest of Konoha!" Hiashi said.

Without warning, every one of the Juubi's tails swung upwards and began shooting large, wooden stakes from their palms, raining spines down onto the Joint Shinobi Army below as the monster released another shriek from its lopsided mouth.

Ami instantly threw up Kaze Engo to deflect and grind the projectiles to sawdust, horrified as she saw several ninja around herself impaled by the other falling spikes.

Even the Hyuuga were having difficulty in rotating fast enough to avoid being hit. Neji lost his forehead protector to a small stave that found its way through his Kaiten's defense.

The Stone shinobi had thrown up a large wall for some ninja to hide behind while others did their best to fight the bombardment of pickets.

Meanwhile, Naruto had managed to enter Sage mode. Two Kage Bunshin stood behind him as a Rasen Shuriken spun in his palm. He threw the attack into the air, the jutsu slicing many spikes in half before exploding in the air, taking a large number of stakes with it.

Fire shinobi were scorching as many of the spikes as they could.

Naruto's clones threw two more Rasen Shuriken, before bursting into smoke as they vanished, the original dropping to one knee as Hinata swiftly knocked away a stake headed for the boy.

One of the Juubi's tails slammed into the Earth, and was knocked back by a well-aimed Hakke Kyuuhekishou attack from Hiashi, a large crater appearing in the ground around the man's feet.

The retreating limb aimed a finger at Naruto, firing several sharp poles at the boy.

Hinata instantly jumped between Naruto and the stakes and threw out her arms, fully prepared to die as a human shield for the Uzumaki.

She knew the attack was too fast to stop.

What she didn't know was that her cousin had no intention of allowing her to die protecting Naruto.

He chose that fate himself.

Naruto and Hinata gaped as Neji threw himself before the attack and several shafts pierced his body.

Hiashi's eyes widened with shock.

Two gargantuan slabs of stone rose up out of the earth on either side of the Juubi, pinching it between them and rendering it unable to move. A swarm of ninja rushed at the demon.

Naruto bellowed for a medic, but Neji quietly protested through a bloody mouth, telling the boy that it was already too late.

"Naruto... Hinata-sama... is willing to die for you..." the Hyuuga said quietly, a small smile gracing his lips, "That's why... your life... is not only one. Apparently... my life too... was one of yours."

Tears streamed silently down Hinata's face.

"Why... why _here...?_" Naruto whispered , his voice shaking, in utter disbelief at what was happening. "You're Hyuuga's..."

* * *

Neji smiled as he thought back to his match with Naruto in the Chunin exams, and how the blond had inspired him to stop worrying about fate and destiny and chase what he wanted in life.

* * *

During their match, when asked why he fought so hard despite the knowledge that he was nowhere near as skilled as the Hyuuga, Naruto had retorted; '_Because you told me I'm a failure._'

* * *

So when Naruto asked Neji why he was so willing to throw away his life for him, exhausted but grinning, the Hyuuga whispered back; '_Because you told me I'm a genius._'

With those final words, the seal on Neji's forehead vanished and his Byakugan was sealed forever.

* * *

The ten-tails broke most of the way free from the earth prison.

Up on top of the Juubi, Obito called down to the blond. "Didn't you say that you wouldn't let your friends die?"

Eyes wide with horror, the Uzumaki gently laid down Neji's body, cradling his dead friend's head.

He had nothing to say.

"Well look around you."

The bodies of comrades littered the battlefield, every one of them run through, the ground below them drenched in blood.

"_Try saying it again._"

Aghast, the Uzumaki stared at the carnage surrounding them, utterly speechless.

"_I said; Try saying it again!_" Obito demanded, "_Feel your friends becoming cold and realise their death!_"

The other ninja stared on, stupefied.

"This is going to continue. Your feeble words and principles are going to be proven wrong." the Uchiha scowled, "This is what happens when you talk about hope and ideals. This is reality. Naruto, what do you have in this reality? You have no father and no mother... your master Jiraiya is dead... and as long as you keep opposing, your friends will die one after the other. No one that acknowledges you will survive."

Kakashi glared furiously at his old teammate. "_Obito!_" he snarled.

"And you already know what lies ahead of all this." the man continued, "_Loneliness!_"

Naruto's resolve was chipping and cracking with every word that passed Obito's lips.

'_He's going to give in..._' Ami realised.

"There's no need to be in this reality." Obito said, extending a hand. "Come here, Naruto!"

After several seconds, slowly but surely, Naruto raised his arm, as though silently asking the enemy to come and take hold of it.

Without warning, Hinata slapped the blond on the cheek, shocking every one of the onlookers, Obito included.

The Uzumaki started and stared at the girl, astounded as she cupped his face in her hand.

He dropped his arm.

Hinata bit her lip, swallowing her sorrow.

"Do you understand what Neji-niisan said earlier?" she asked. "That your life isn't the only one? Naruto-kun, your words and beliefs that you won't let your friends die, _they're not a lie!_"

Naruto gazed at the Hyuuga, dazed.

"It's because of those words that Neji-niisan was able to come this far." Hinata said firmly, "It's not only you... everyone kept those words and feelings in their hearts, and that's how everyone's lives are connected together. That's why they're comrades. If everyone gave up on those words and thoughts, then what Neji-niisan did would become pointless too. That would be the real way to kill your friends. They wouldn't be comrades anymore. ...That's what I think. So... let's stand up together, Naruto-kun. Always going ahead and not going back on one's words. That's my ninja way too."

Naruto was silent for several seconds as Hinata's words seemed to bring him back to his senses.

Sudden movement from the Juubi caught the army's attention. It was wrapping itself in its tails as it began charging up an energy ball in its mouth.

"_It's aiming here!_" one of the men cried.

"I'M CHARGED ENOUGH!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Killer Bee and Sai arrived, riding an ink bird of Sai's creation.

Killer Bee leapt from the bird and transformed into the Hachibi in midair, firing a Bijuudama and sticking his head inside the mouth of the Juubi to knock the bomb back inside the demon's maw.

The ten-tails' stomach swelled to epic proportions with the resulting internal explosion.

The Hachibi jumped back from its mouth as the Juubi fell backwards in the dust.

"Don't overdo it!" one of the shinobi strongly advised the duo.

The eight-tails now had neither of its horns, along with a missing tooth and a nosebleed.

Killer Bee's voice rapped through the bijuu's mouth. "Worrying is useless, to protect the alliance, I'm fearless!"

Naruto took Hinata's hand and got to his feet.

"Hinata... thank you." he said, "It's thanks to you that stayed at my side."

The Juubi's stomach hung low with loose skin stretched from the stress of the explosion and smoke seeped from its mouth as it pulled itself loose from the rubble around it.

Still holding onto the Hyuuga's hand, Naruto cloaked his body in sun-coloured Chakra, passing some of this energy to Hinata in the form of a Demon Fox Cloak.

The jaws of the Uchiha and the joint Shinobi Army dropped at the sight of the successful cloak.

The boy formed three Kage Bunshin, each one ablaze with yellow Chakra.

"About time, Naruto!" Shikamaru scolded at a clone that jumped down beside him.

"Sorry!" the boy said, gripping the Nara's hand and covering him with energy.

Chouji and Ino were next, and Chouji watched in amazement as his depleted body fat calories were quickly replenished and he began to gain weight again.

Naruto was spreading Chakra to every person in the army.

'I hope it works on me, too.' Ami thought, holding out her hand for her teammate to touch.

She grinned as the orange Chakra of Naruto and the Kyuubi enveloped her body.

'I guess because it's so powerful my own Chakra can't break it down as well as usual Chakra...' she thought, clenching her hand into a fist and watching with fascination as the cloak mimicked the action around her fingers.

A tail went for Hinata, but the Hyuuga aimed a single Hakke Kuushou at the limb and knocked it back with ease.

'I'm really curious about how much my own abilities have improved, but I'd better wait for Ino-Shika-Chou.' Ami thought, grinning with eagerness despite herself.

Chouji and the others of the Akimichi clan quickly performed Baika no jutsu and grew to an enormous size, grabbing hold of a tail each.

"_Shikamaru! Ino! Are you ready?!_" Chouji called.

"Yes!"

"Yeah!"

"Don't underestimate us!" Obito growled, forming a seal. Spikes sprouted from the palms of each tail, but Ino broke into the Juubi's mind and aimed the stakes away from each of the Akimichi.

Shikamaru quickly bound his shadow to that of the Juubi, along with every other member of the Nara clan, freezing the motions of the Juubi.

"_We stopped it! It's okay, Ino!_"

The girl released the jutsu and woke up beside Kiba.

* * *

"_NEJII!_"

Lee bawled and clutched his dead friend, tears running down his face as Gai and Tenten looked on, faces filled with grief.

"Lee... don't cry..." Gai said gently, "As long as we remember Neji's feelings, he will continue to live on inside us."

"...I'll teach you something..." Obito said quietly, before raising his voice to a shout, "_That's what made me live so far! It can also work as a powerful curse!_"

Kakashi frowned underneath his mask. "Naruto... I told you that 'I will never let my friends die'. That's also something I wanted to convince myself of. There are many friends that I have been unable to protect so far. That's why every time I swear that I'll protect them, but then I still happen to face the truth of when I'm not able to do it. You have to take that 'wound' with you forever."

"That's why we are the ones who endure. We are ninja." Naruto said firmly, "I will never forget. And anyway, that wound means that my friends are still inside me. The real friends are not the ones I created in my dreams to not get hurt, that would be erasing the real ones."

Lee was silent as he listened to the Uzumaki, tears still dribbling down his face.

"It can be a curse, but I don't care!" the blond said certainly. He placed his hand on his heart. "I want to keep the real Neji here!"

Lee slowly lifted his head and placed his own palm on his breast. His eyes hardened at the enemy as Naruto touched his shoulder and enveloped the black-haired boy's body in Chakra. Lee gently closed the Hyuuga's eyes and laid his friend down gently onto the ground, rising to face their opponents.

"_Naruto, go! Now!_" Shikamaru ordered, gritting his teeth as the Juubi began to resist against the Nara clan's shadow binding technique, its tails reaching towards them.

The Hachibi fired a Bijuudama, Mifune sliced at the creature with his sword, the Hyuuga clan attacked with Gentle fist strikes, and several sand shinobi fired sharp currents at the ten-tails. Ami joined the ninja of Sunagakure with her own wind-element jutsu, grinning as she saw that they were undoubtedly succeeding in their attempts to injure the beast.

All ten tails moved back away from the Joint Shinobi Army, then rushed forward, digging into the earth around them and splitting the Terra.

"_Neji won't have died for nothing!_" Hiashi barked defiantly.

Despite his body's quivering, Obito grunted arrogantly. "The cursed mark that won't go away until you die... the curse of shinobi, created by the main and branch families of the Hyuuga. Living inside a cage, just waiting to die. That's a nice suggestion. Like the brat you just let die in vain."

Naruto glared at the man, bringing up two Rasenshuriken, one in each palm. "_Neji..._" He dashed at the man, the alliance following, Lee at his side, "_NEJI'S WILL..._"

Naruto and the army leapt from the ground, the orange Kyuubi's Chakra causing the bodies of the ninja to seem to almost seem to coagulate together into a bird-like shape. With a single Rasenshuriken, Naruto sliced two of the Juubi's tails clean in half.

"_ISN'T DEAD YET!_"

The group continued straight on through the air towards the Juubi's face.

"_I'll get his right!_" Lee said, clenching his fists in preparation.

"_Good!_" Naruto replied, raising his arm, but wincing at the pain in his shoulder, still dislocated from the first time the Juubi knocked them back.

Hinata swiftly pushed the arm back into its socket with a well-placed Juuken.

"_Go, Lee!_" the Uzumaki cried as he thrust his remaining projectile towards Obito.

With a swift kick from Lee to Madara, and a direct hit by Naruto's Rasenshuriken, though Madara could regenerate and Obito phased through the attack, the bonds of both men to the Juubi were severed, causing the Uchiha duo to retreat. Soldiers surrounded them.

"Unlike you, I don't want to cut off the bonds I made." Naruto called, landing before the men, "And I don't want others to cut off their bonds with me."

Madara and Obito each formed several seals and fired gigantic bursts of flame as the Juubi swung a fist at the army.

Ami gaped at the sight of the inferno heading towards her, eyes the size of dinner plates. '_I don't have any water techniques strong enough to handle that level of fire!_'

The amount of Kyuubi Chakra enveloping her body doubled in an instant, and the brunette exhaled heavily as she realised that she wouldn't be burned to a crisp, at least for the moment. Glancing around herself, the Konno noticed that Naruto seemed to have increased the amount of Kyuubi Chakra surrounding every member of the joint shinobi army to shield them from the blaze.

'_To protect this many people at once..._' she thought, astonished at the progress her teammate had made. '_Naruto really is incredible... but he must be exhausted..._'

Madara brought up a Susanoo around himself, and Obito loosed a flurry of humongous kunai and shuriken from within his Mangekyou Sharingan at the alliance.

Ami watched as her cloak's tail smacked away a knife headed her way, and frowned deeply as she looked at the sweaty, panting boy, worried for her friend's well-being.

The space above him began to swirl and bend.

"_Naruto! Above you!_" Kakashi cried.

The Jinchuuriki dashed over to one side as Obito dropped from the air over the place he had previously been.

Landing, Obito frowned at the boy. "Naruto, you're only defending if you just protect everybody." he said, "Do you think this will help? You'll just get weaker."

'He's right...' Ami thought, her brows knitting as she stared guiltily at the bright energy surrounding her.

"Since you like to be alone, you probably can't understand." the Uzumaki said. Still breathing heavily, he rushed at Obito, his right hand swelling with yellow Chakra. "Having everyone close to me really makes me happy! _That's enough to give me power!_"

Obito vanished once again using his Sharingan, reappearing up on a piece of rubble. "If you think the pain of your friends is a form of bond, then why do you feel the need to protect them?"

"_Your dumb arguments, that's something I really hate about you!_" Naruto spat, "_Quit with your stupid reasoning! I mean to say that I'll stand any pain for my friends! I'm not gonna give up on them! Maybe I'm just being selfish, but not having my friends here_-" He slapped his right hand on his breast over his heart. "_is the most painful thing for me! PERIOD!_"

Obito scowled silently at the Uzumaki.

Ami smiled proudly. 'I'm glad you're my friend... Naruto.'

Without warning, the Juubi rose to its feet with a terrible bellow, now completely broken loose from the earthen prison, its entire body having thickened and strengthened, no longer looking malnourished. The flesh on its stump of a left arm seemed to bubble and swell as the limb eventually formed.

The shinobi of the alliance covered their ears, trying to block out the deafening noise.

"_Shit! This earth jutsu with Naruto's Chakra isn't working anymore!_" Kitsuchi shouted, doing his best to speak over the roar of the demon.

"_There's not jutsu better than this to stop him!_"

"We're gonna cut the only thing that connected me and the Juubi." Obito said, "Nothing will restrain it... Maybe it would be better if I just became its Jinchuuriki, actually."

Kakashi aimed his Mangekyou Sharingan at the Juubi, clearly intent on sucking it into another dimension.

However, Obito had other plans and leaped in front of the sensei. "_Looks like you were waiting for it, Kakashi, but so was I!_"

In an instant, both men were sucked into the alternate dimension that the Kamui jutsu used.

'Kakashi-sensei will be fine.' Ami thought firmly, 'That dimension is the same one Obito used to move parts of his body so that it looked like techniques passed straight through him. If anyone can beat Obito, it's Kakashi-sensei.'

The Juubi released another shriek and the earth began to shudder as dark clouds twisted in the sky. A monstrous earthquake began, chunks of rock and dirt being thrust out from around the Juubi towards the ninja, and lightning bolts struck the terrain as at least a dozen tornadoes touched down.

The cataclysm lasted for about a minute before abating, and the dust slowly settled to reveal Madara, protected by Susanoo, and the Joint Shinobi Army, protected by Naruto's Kyuubi Chakra.

The Uzumaki's own yellow energy had dissipated, and blood dripped down his temple as he held his injured right arm. "It's not working..." he panted.

The beast screamed again, pressing its hands together in a seal.

Naruto dropped to one knee, utterly spent. The Kyuubi cloaks began to dissipate.

"This was the most you could do." Madara said, sounding bored and disappointed. "I already found something else to enjoy... I'll get you out of here."

The Uzumaki looked up in shock as several ninja, including Ami, formed a line in front of him, facing Madara.

"Thank you, Naruto." the brunette said gently, pulling the water out from both of her canisters. "I've lost count of how many times you've saved my life today, but you've done more than enough for the moment. Let us protect you for a bit."

"_Everybody! Let's join our forces!_" Hinata ordered, stepping to the centre in front of the line.

"_I'll heal you!_" Sakura said, placing her hands on the blond's shoulders, the Mystic Palm jutsu mending his injuries and relieving his fatigue.

The drained boy gazed proudly at the backs of his comrades.

The jaw of the Juubi began to open, and a huge bulge rose up from within its throat.

'Is it transforming again?' Ami thought to herself, watching as the sphere in the Juubi's maw flowered open into a monstrous rafflesia-like object.

Black energy began to gather in front of the plant-like body part, forming a gigantic ball as large as the Juubi's own body.

"It's getting bigger and bigger..." Shikamaru said worriedly.

"Is it going after Naruto?" Chouji asked.

Naruto stared up helplessly at the dark mass, teeth gritted in frustration as Sakura healed him

"To be frank..." a random shinobi piped up, "what can we do against it without Naruto's Chakra..?"

There was a short silence as the alliance watched the Juubi's Bijuudama continue to swell, at a total loss as to how to act.

"_We can't just hesitate now after all that's happened!_" Sakura barked suddenly, "_Naruto is doing everything he can! It was clear from his words!_"

Ami blinked, coming out of her stupor and turning to look at the kunoichi.

"Yeah..." one man grinned, "He's doing his best to protect simple shinobi like us..."

"_I don't mean that!_" the medic said firmly, "_He's making us realise that he considers all of us comrades! I'm going to give Naruto a full recovery! Every one of us must do what's in their power! If we're going to die anyway, then it's better to die fighting than to do nothing!_"

Ami smiled. 'Sakura is absolutely right!'

Shikamaru turned to Ino. "Ino! There's someone I want you to link me to!"

"Did you come up with something?"

"You're great, Shikamaru!"

The Yamanaka placed her palm against the Nara's brow and linked him to whoever it was that he wished to contact, and after several seconds, Shikamaru spoke aloud again.

"Ino... now link me to all the shinobi on this battlefield. Can you do it?"

"_I just will!_" the blonde yelled, looking tired, frustrated and determined all at once.

Chouji smiled at the sight of his teammates working together so well.

Shikamaru's voice sounded in everyone's heads. "We're going to attempt to slow down the Juubi's attack with some weak Doton walls. The seals I'm about to teach you can be done by anyone, but if you can make a stronger barrier, please do."

Every shinobi performed the seals Shikamaru taught them, and a thick series of stone walls was quickly set up between the Shinobi alliance and the bijuudama.

The Juubi released its energy, and the black mass raced for the alliance, ploughing through the barriers as if they were made of Styrofoam.

'_It's stronger than we expected!_' Ami thought to herself. '_At this rate, it'll hit us!_'

The Hachibi leaped between the Bijuudama and the army, ready to take the blast as a living shield.

However, to the shock and confusion of everyone, the dark sphere suddenly vanished.

A three-pointed kunai sank into the ground in front of Naruto, Sakura and Ami.

The Yondaime Hokage appeared by it in a sudden flash of yellow.

"Was I late?" he asked jokingly.

Naruto grinned as the others stared on in shock. "No... you were right on time, Dad."

"'Dad'?!" Ami cried, gawking from her teammate to the deceased fourth hokage, whose eyes showed the characteristic traits of those revived with Edo Tensei.

"_Who the..?!_" Sakura cried, eyes wide with shock.

"I'm Minato Namizake." the blond man smiled, "Get ready for the blast."

A sudden explosion sounded behind them, small pieces of rock shooting through the air and large boulders cracking.

"_WAH! WHAT WAS THAT?!_" Sakura screamed, continuing to heal Naruto despite her surprise.

Everyone in the alliance braced themselves against the shudders of the Juubi's attack, doing their best to steady themselves against the tremors.

"I sent the Juubi's attack to the sea." Minato explained.

Sakura eyed him warily. "You are..."

"You've been revived with Edo Tensei." Ami noted.

The blond man nodded. "Don't worry. I'm on your side."

Ami quickly set about molding Chakra for use. 'If the Yondaime is here, that means we still have a fighting chance. I'd better be ready to attack.'

Minato turned to Sakura, who was still treating Naruto. "Thank you for helping Naruto recover... are you his girlfriend?"

"Huh? Uh... yeah. More or less..." Naruto said dopily.

A vein bulged in Sakura's brow and she headbutted the whiskered boy in the back of his skull. "_SHUT UP AND SAVE YOUR ENERGY!_"

"_I'm getting injured instead of recovering!_"

"_SHUT UP! I'll just increase the healing speed!_"

Minato chuckled. "Take care of my son."

Sakura looked down at Naruto, brow furrowed. "This is so sudden... but you look like you already knew about it."

Ami nodded in agreement, continuing to mold Chakra. "Yeah, what gives, Naruto?"

"I felt his Chakra when I was in Kyuubi mode." the Uzumaki explained, "The others are coming too."

As if on cue, the first, second and third Hokage all landed beside the fourth.

"You're fast as always, Minato." Hiruzen said.

"Fourth, your Shunshin is better than mine." Tobirama commented.

"Okay! Let's get started!" Hashirama said eagerly.

Shock covered the faces of those in the alliance.

"_T-the third Hokage?!_" Sakura stammered. "_And that's-!_"

"_The Shodaime, Nidaime, Sandaime and even the Yondaime, Minato!_"

"_I see.. so it was the Yondaime who stopped that attack. But who used Edo Tensei on them?_"

"Orochimaru summoned us." the Sandaime smiled, "We must stop this war."

Naruto smiled knowingly. "More are coming, though they're a bit late."

"_I WAS WAITING FOR YOU, HASHIRAMAAAA!_" Madara bellowed, his face contorted in a deranged grin.

"_I'll deal with you later!_" the first Hokage barked, jabbing a finger at the impatient Uchiha.

Madara's smile slowly shrunk.

"_I'll stop the Juubi first!_" Hashirama said firmly.

Madara chuckled to himself. "You're always the same. I really can't get along with you..."

The Juubi began running at the alliance.

"Well, it's dashing here..." the Shodaime sighed.

Minato smiled at his son. "Naruto, you did well. Rest for a while. Your friend is coming as well. And he's on our side."

Naruto and the girls' eyes widened.

'Does he mean... _Sasuke..? Sasuke's coming?_' Ami continued to mold Chakra as she tried to digest this thought.

"Hokage, let's go!" Hashirama commanded his fellow former leaders of the leaf.

Minato's body cloaked itself in the same sun-coloured Chakra Naruto had borne earlier. "Nidaime, Sandaime, come before me."

Ami and Sakura gaped, shocked at the energy covering the Yondaime's body.

"Did you already do the marking?" the third asked.

"Yes."

"You're quick to act." Tobirama smirked, glancing at the characteristic three-pronged kunai of the fourth Hokage.

The first, second and third disappeared, reappearing in three different locations to one another.

"Let's go!" Hashirama said, all of them forming the same seal.

"Shisekiyoujin!" The four men spoke the same technique's name simultaneously.

"And I'll also add this!" Hashirama said, forming another seal, "Senpou, Myoujinmon! Ten seals!"

Ten torii dropped from the sky, pinning each one of the Juubi's tails to the ground while a scarlet cage formed around it.

"A red barrier?" Lee questioned.

"That's even stronger than the shishienjin... Only four people of Hokage level could do it!" Gai said, awestruck.

The Juubi released a monstrous roar.

"It will be hard for you to move now!" Hashirama grinned.

Ami smirked to herself. 'I've got quite a bit of Chakra stored up now, and with the Hokage having bound the Juubi like this, fighting will be a lot easier!' The brunette looked up curiously when she sensed a body of water moving above herself. Her eyes widened.

The ninja wordlessly landed in front of them, his teammates landing next him.

Sakura gazed at the shinobi's back, too amazed to say anything.

Ami bit her lip and swallowed hard, unsure of what might come out if she were to open her mouth.

Naruto was the first to speak.

"You're pretty late, Sasuke."

"...Don't change your mind again, 'kay?" Ami managed to mutter.

He grunted.

"...Sasuke-kun..." Sakura mumbled.

The black-haired boy turned his head slightly to look at her. "...Sakura."

As if the sound of her name had snapped her out of a trance, the pink-haired girl jumped. "_Sa-Sasuke-kun!_"

The boy's name attracted the attention of several other Leaf-nin, and an angry mob quickly surrounded the Uchiha.

Ino was first to approach him. "_Sa-Sasuke-kun?!_"

"_Ino, stop!_" Shikamaru ordered. "_He's our enemy!_"

"Ino, you shouldn't get too close to him!" Chouji advised.

"...You're as noisy as always." the raven droned, giving the trio a weary frown.

Ayano Sora dropped down to beside her student, brow furrowed. "Well, well. The prodigal son returns."

"_BASTARD! Why the hell are you here?!_" Kiba demanded, Akamaru snarling beside him.

"...Why did you come here?" Sakura asked.

"...Many things happened, but I decided to protect the village." he said coolly, "And I... _will become Hokage._"

Never one to laugh at the dreams of others, the only one who didn't look at the Uchiha as though he were a madman was Naruto.

"_Yeah, right!_" Kiba shouted furiously, eyes bulging in his head, "_A long-time Missing-Nin shows up and starts telling jokes! Do you even know what 'Hokage' means?!_"

Shikamaru frowned at the Uchiha. "I don't know what happened to you, but... that's impossible. Do you think that... that..."

Shino finished the Nara's question. "Do you think that you can just erase everything you've done so far?"

Sasuke's expression was unconcerned. "Yeah, I know I can't. But I don't care what you think about me."

Naruto's face hardened.

"The Kages created this situation." the raven continued shamelessly, "I'll become Hokage and change the village."

"_Shut the fuck up!_" Ami spat, temple throbbing and glaring daggers at the boy. "_It's taken you three years to figure out whether or not you even like the village, and now you think you have the right to run the damn thing?!_"

Sasuke looked at her with disinterest. "Like I said, I don't care what you think."

"Ami, calm down." Naruto stepped forward, placing a hand on his quivering friend's shoulder. He smiled confidently. "...I'll be the one to become Hokage."

"_I'm happy that we have so many Hokage candidates, but you guys are taking it too easy!_" Hashirama yelled, "_Prepare your Chakra! We must defeat that with a combined attack!_"

"Thank you for healing me, Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled, "You should rest now. Ami, you stay here with Sakura. Let's go, Sasuke!"

The girls frowned deeply.

Naruto and Sasuke hopped forward onto a large, flat rock. To their surprise, Sakura and Ami followed.

"_Do you think I'm just a weak woman that can't compete with you?_" Sakura demanded, "Tsunade-sama trains her disciples just as well as the other Sannin."

"Sakura-chan..."

"It's almost done." the pinkette continued, "I've almost stored the necessary Chakra. Soon I'll be able to use my real power. I'm also a member of Team seven, and a disciple of a Sannin."

After several seconds, Naruto seemed to begrudgingly accept that Sakura wasn't going anywhere.

"...What about Ami?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"_What about me?_" the brunette frowned, "I don't know about trained by a Sannin, but _damn it_, my teacher was _picked by one!_ And I don't care what you say, that's got to count for something. In any case..." she turned her eyes on Sasuke. "...you can't call me 'average' anymore."

The Uchiha spared her a quick, blank glance, then turned away without a response.

The brunette gave her teammates a small smirk and shrug. "And besides... our team has always had one extra anyway."

"...Two if you count Kurama." Naruto grinned.

The girls beamed and the Kyuubi chuckled in Naruto's stomach.

"...Good." the blond said eventually.

All four of them turned to face the Juubi.

"_Team Seven is reborn!_"

* * *

**ERMAHGERD.**


	36. Names, Summons and Smiles

**Hey guys!**

**So, a lot of people have been complaining that I don't let Ami show off and get involved enough. Now, as you know, I'm more worried about having her do too much than too little. That said, I have made a special effort in this chapter to show off what Ami can really do, and what she's learned. Hope you guys like it okay. :) I'll try to do a better job with this.**

**Also, I know it's a bit boring to go over canon stuff, but I don't really have a choice with a lot of it. I've tried to include some original storyline in this as well to try and keep you guys from getting bored, but there's not much else I can do at the moment. Sorry about that. :(**

**I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

**Hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

**Names, Summons and Smiles**

* * *

"_Let's go, Ami, Sakura-chan, Sasuke!_" Naruto grinned.

"_Ready when you are!_"

"_Yes!_"

"Yeah."

* * *

Ino smiled at the sight of the reunited team. "It's kind of nostalgic, isn't it, Shikamaru?"

"...It's helpful that he's here to help us defeat the enemy in front of us..." the Nara muttered, "I still don't want to acknowledge him, though."

"It's been a long time since we've all been together." Chouji smiled, "It reminds me of the Chuunin exams."

"_I'll become Hokage!_" Kiba yelled furiously, "_Hey! Are you listening?!_"

"Kiba, no one is listening to you now. It's pathetic, stop it." Shino frowned, "That's because it had much more impact when Sasuke said it."

"Ki-Kiba-kun, I'm listening." Hinata stuttered gently, feeling sorry for her frustrated friend, "Everyone wants to become Hokage."

* * *

"_Let's show them our power!_" Naruto cried, raising his hands into the air, the other six of the Rookie ten lined up before him.

"_WAIT!_" Hashirama ordered.

The Juubi was loading up another monstrous Bijuudama.

"_Predecessors, let's get ready for this!_" the Yondaime said.

The Ten-Tails loosed the attack, and the walls of the red barrier bulged with its force, swelling like a balloon. The sides held, however, and the Juubi's Bijuudama blew up in its own face, shooting far up into the sky miles above, rippling the tall walls of the barrier as it went.

The dust cleared to reveal the creature groaning.

"Damn Juubi..." Mifune smirked, "Take that!"

"What a powerful barrier, to not let even that pass!" a samurai gasped.

"It's not an easy barrier to create!" Hashirama admitted with a modest smile.

"Wow..." Naruto exclaimed, awestruck.

"The Hokage were really amazing people!" Sakura praised.

"Apparently it wasn't just a rumour." Sasuke said.

"I'm sure glad they're on our side." Ami agreed.

The Shodaime produced five wood clones, all of whom dashed off in different directions.

"I will create an opening on all four sides of the barrier for shinobi to enter it!" he said as four clones arranged themselves around the barrier with one at each side.

The original Shodaime placed another torii over the Juubi's throat.

The army swarmed at all four sides.

Each one of Hashirama's clones placed his hands on the side of the barrier, and an opening, small but wide, formed.

The Joint Shinobi Army rushed through, Team Seven at the front.

Bumps began forming on the skin of the Juubi. They grew heads, arms, feet and various weapons as small pieces dropped off as clones, which ran to meet the alliance.

"It doesn't want you to get to its main body!" Hashirama explained.

Both parties rushed for one another at top speed.

"_Don't be scared!_" Naruto urged.

Behind Naruto and Sasuke, the girls looked on as their teammates pummeled their attackers.

Already forming seals herself, Ami saw Sakura clenching her fist, ready to attack. She knew what Sakura was thinking.

* * *

It had always been the same. The boys had always been stronger. Naruto and Sasuke had always been so much further ahead than either of them, impossible to catch up to. The girls had always stood back and watched as Naruto and Sasuke protected them.

_No more._

* * *

Sakura slammed her fist into the gut of a clone with axes for arms, and stared hard at the foe's eyeless face.

The purple diamond seal of the Hyakugou no In flickered onto her brow.

At long last, her master's strength had been passed on.

"Now it's filled up, I can finally release it." the Medic-Nin smirked, clenching her other fist.

Naruto picked up on the pinkette's words and glanced back in curiosity.

Sakura dealt the Juubi clone a blow that caved in its stomach and caused the flesh at its back to bulge. She leaped high into the air as the clone went flying back, knocking over its fellows and causing the boys to jump when it passed them, a cloud of dust in its wake. The clone was still sailing through the air when Sakura came back down, her hand drawn back, ready to strike.

With a furious bellow of 'SHAANNAROO!', the earth split under her fingers, gargantuan chunks of terra lifting and throwing up pieces of rock and dirt high into the air.

Naruto stared in shock at the insane display of strength his teammate had just performed.

'I'll never mess with Sakura-chan again!' he thought, sweat dribbling down his face, 'She'll pulverise me!'

Sasuke gave a quiet chuckle, clearly pleased with the Haruno's growth.

"What a monster!" Hashirama laughed, "That might be worse than Tsunade!"

Shizune looked at Sakura with a mixture of respect and just a hint of jealousy. 'She's been saving up Chakra in the same spot for three years... that's extremely precise Chakra control... not even I could perform the Hyakugou no jutsu...'

"I also don't need to use it to look younger!" Sakura said proudly.

Ami eyed the small, but powerful seal on her teammate's brow, proud of her fellow kunoichi.

* * *

Sakura had surpassed Tsunade.

Naruto had surpassed Jiraiya.

Sasuke had surpassed Orochimaru.

Without a doubt, her teammates would become the next Sannin.

So where would that leave her?

Ami found her thoughts shifting to a day from her life several years back.

* * *

It was grey, rainy day.

Not just drizzle, mind you, but the kind of deluge that made it hard to see ten feet in front of yourself and would soak you to the skin in seconds if you were unfortunate enough to find yourself caught in it.

Staring out the window, Ami thought to herself about how glad she was that Sora hadn't chosen to camp, but instead stay at a ryokan, and how fortunate they were that the ryokan was on a hillside. If the land had been flat, they would probably be up to their ankles in water by now.

Ami frowned to herself, rolling a purple crayon between her fingers. Even water-users couldn't train in this kind of weather.

According to Sora, this was a good thing, as she thought that they could both do with a rest from training. Despite the aching in her arms and legs from repeating the same fighting moves over and over, Ami begged to differ, but the squall kept both of them firmly inside, whether she liked it or not.

The girl turned her head to look at her teacher, who was sprawled out on the floor colouring in a picture of a little girl sitting on a mushroom. If anyone who didn't know her was looking at this woman, they would probably think that there was something wrong with her, but Ami knew better.

* * *

Ayano Sora was a powerful woman who had served in the ANBU for several years. She was strong in mind, soul and body and a grueling teacher who took no nonsense during training. Her inside and outside faces remained firmly separate, serious as the grave when teaching Ami and playful as a child when relaxing with her.

* * *

As the Konno gazed at her teacher, a thought that had been niggling at the back of Ami's mind for a while came to the surface.

There was no question about it. Ayano Sora was amazing, but there was one thing that she wasn't.

The girl hesitated for several seconds before finally speaking up.

"Hey... Sora-sensei?"

"Mmm?" The black woman continued to colour.

"You know how Jiraiya-sama, Tsunade-sama and Orochimaru were known as 'the Sannin'?"

"Yeah..?" The teacher nodded, picking up another crayon.

"Well... I've learned more things with you than I could have even imagined before, but..."

Sora looked up from her colouring book. "'But' what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ami chewed her lip, unsure of how to continue. "Well... Naruto is being trained by Jiraiya-sama, Sakura is being trained by Tsunade-sama and Sasuke is being trained by Orochimaru."

"So?"

"Well, at first, I didn't think it was such a big deal, but Sakura's learning so quickly-"

"As are you." the sensei pointed out. "Your wind's as good as your water these days."

"_I know_, but... if we get Sasuke back, those three will probably become the next three Sannin, won't they?"

Sora looked back to her picture and held out her hand. "Probably. Pass me the purple."

Ami frowned, handing her teacher the crayon she had been twiddling. "Anyway, if that does happen... then what will that make me? I won't be a Sannin."

"No, you won't."

Ami threw up her arms in frustration. "Well, they're not about to start calling us 'the Yonin', and I don't want Team Seven to be 'the Sannin and friend'. So what will I be? The one no one remembers?" With slight bitterness, she added under her breath; "_I kinda thought that would be Sakura..._"

Aside from a slight furrowing of the brow, Sora chose to ignore her student's insult of her Medic-Nin teammate. "You're worried that you won't be part of a set?"

"If you put it that way, it sounds really petty, but I guess so, yeah."

"It sounds petty because it is petty." Sora shrugged.

Ami turned away from her teacher, her face sulky and red with embarrassment. "It's not just the name, you know! I don't want to be left out with everyone thinking that my teammates are better than me!"

Sora stopped colouring and put down her crayon, turning her attention to her student. She looked carefully at the small bit of Ami's face that was visible, studying what little of her expression she could see. "And you think being nameless makes you look less capable... that the title is connected to the power... right?"

The brunette exhaled heavily. "Well... yeah... kind of... I know it seems stupid... and childish... but the thought of being the only one forgotten, or that the others might look down on me because they have more than one name and I don't... _it still bothers me..._ I... _I just want to feel like I'm part of the team._"

Sora scratched the back of her head. "...Ami."

The brunette looked back at her sensei, her cheeks still flushed.

"They're getting their names as hand-me-downs. You don't need to be part of a set. If you want to be remembered so badly, then make your own title."

Ami looked at her sensei with utter confusion. "Make my own?"

"Yeah. It's not like nicknames come out of nowhere. Get so good that everyone knows who you are, and they'll give you a name. Easy peasy, breezy kneesy. There's no reason for you to be the one nobody knows. You won't be a Sannin, there's no question about that, but there's no reason you can't be just as respected."

"...You think I can do it?"

Sora shrugged, turning back to her picture. "Sure, why not? You work hard enough, anyway."

Ami felt her spirits lift at her sensei's praise and encouragement. "..._Alright then!_"

* * *

Ami ran past the boys and Sakura, still forming seals.

_'It's time I showed my team what I can do!_' she thought adamantly, '_Sannin or not, I'M NO SPARE!_' She placed her hands together in the final seal of the sequence. "_Everyone, I'm about to use some techniques that have quite a long and wide reach! Stay at least sixteen metres away, or you WILL die!_" the brunette ordered.

The other shinobi heeded her warning and speedily backed off.

With no other opponents around, the Juubi clones quickly turned on Ami.

She was ready.

"_Tri-Elemental Symphony!_" Ami held her hands out at her sides and clenched them into fists. "_Water!_" Her right fist was enveloped in blue, bubbling Chakra."_Wind!_" Swirling, silvery energy surrounded her left. "_Ice!_" She touched them together.

A burst of cold air swirled out from the girl, freezing the clones where they stood, the water in their bodies having cooled and expanded so rapidly that they exploded in a burst of silvery shards.

Outside Ami's fifteen metre control range, the air was as normal, but every fighter who saw what she had just done backed off even further.

The brunette swung her left hand around quickly, slicing every clone within her range in two with an invisible blade of air. The shards from her ice attack and the liquid water of the fresh bodies supplied the aqua for her next strike. She pumped Chakra through her feet, through the water on the ground and into the bodies of her approaching attackers. The creatures stumbled, nauseated by the girl's energy, though not to the same degree a regular person would be. Using her right hand, Ami pulled the water from both the ground and the bodies of every clone that stepped inside her range. In the same motion, she used that same water to kill the next wave.

"_I freeze and desiccate these things so quickly they don't even feel it!_" she called to the onlooking shinobi, "_So in case anyone thinks I'm being too brutal, relax! They're dead before they know it!_"

A blade of water stretched from her right hand to the full length of her range, and a strip of wind the same size and shape hummed in her left. The Konno swung her arms in a deadly display, any clones she didn't kill losing arms, legs and other appendages left, right and centre.

"_Can't say the same for those ones, though._" she muttered.

* * *

Even through the cloak of golden Chakra, Naruto's face visibly paled. "_What the heck happened to the girls on our team?! Ami's terrifying!_"

Sasuke watched the girl a moment, a small smirk playing on his lips as he grunted in agreement.

* * *

Sora watched her student's performance with pure pride. 'Three elements at once... she's only sixteen and she can already do that. What's more, I trained Ami to use Tsukunaimen by practising on her own Kage Bunshin. That way she experienced it from both ends. Not only did she learn to respect the power, but she also learned how to use it most efficiently. With the mental and emotional strength to not only overcome, but learn from such experiences, she'll become stronger than I could ever dream to be... That girl will get a name.'

* * *

A particularly large, spiked Juubi clone raised its ugly head above Sakura, who looked up at the monster with shock.

Ami saw the creature, but knew it was outside her attack range. She trusted the boys to help, and as if in answer to her thoughts, Naruto threw a Rasenshuriken and Sasuke shot a flurry of black flames at the massive enemies. The duo made their way over to the pinkette, and Ami swiftly destroyed another mob of clones before joining them.

Sakura beamed at the sight of the Uchiha at her side. "Sasuke-kun!"

"Uhm... I'm here too, Sakura-chan." Naruto mumbled, feeling rather unappreciated.

"And me!" Ami chimed in, slipping into the circle between Sakura and Naruto, pulling her Chakra-filled air and water with her.

"Don't get in my way, Naruto." Sasuke frowned.

Sakura grinned. "Yes! If you guys are fighting, I can snatch the seat myself!"

"_Sakura-chan, too?!_" the blond spluttered, "_At least Ami is on my side!_"

The Konno smirked. "Actually, since everyone else is doing it..."

"_Are you serious?!_"

The brunette laughed. "Why not? I already own a girl's dorm, so I'm used to paperwork _and_ minding people! I'm a step ahead of all of you, I have work experience!"

Naruto groaned.

"This time we'll go back to back!" Sakura declared.

"You got it!" Ami grinned.

"Team Eight are going too!" Kiba shouted, "There's no way we're losing to Team Seven!"

"Yeah!" Hinata agreed.

"Don't think that you're the only one who can use this skill!" the Inuzuka barked, forming a Kage Bunshin.

"_You've only got one!_" the blond cried, "Even when I was a kid-!"

"Just because I've got one extra doesn't mean just three times the power!" Kiba interrupted, jumping onto Akamaru's back with his clone and forming seals. "_We're going to crash into the enemy!_"

The canine barked in agreement.

In a large burst of smoke, the three fused into a single form, a gigantic, white dog with three heads, massive teeth and slit eyes.

Kiba's voice boomed from one of the chimera's mouths. "_Sasuke's gag was disgusting but but strangely emotionally uplifting!_"

The trio surged forward in a furious rolling motion, slashing Juubi clones in half as they span through midair.

* * *

Silent and efficient as always, Shino placed a fist gently against the side of a large enemy, and a single insect scuttled inside.

Without warning, the foe all but disintegrated before him, eaten alive by bugs the size of people.

Ino shrieked in horror. "_That's disgusting! What the hell is with that?_"

"Summoned Giant Bugs." Shino explained calmly, "If you give them the wrong amount of Chakra, they would eat through flesh and grow rapidly. Those born through parasitism are the hardest of bugs."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hinata pounded an enemy with successive strikes of Gentle Fist.

She made it to thirty-two strikes, then faltered slightly, never having passed that number before. But then she thought of Neji and of Naruto, and Hinata Hyuuga took the final confident step that Neji had taught her was key to connecting the sixty-four strikes. Her enemy flew back into the dirt, struggling for the energy to so much as look at her, incapable of getting back up.

Hinata's hands ignited with Chakra.

'Naruto-kun has always working hard at moving forward.' she thought, 'And I _have always been by his side!_'

Blue, fiery lions burned at her fingertips.

"This time, I will go all the way with the Hakke Sixty-Four fists!" she declared.

Her eyes were as fierce and strong as the beasts at her hands.

'_I will always move forward! Even if it's just one step!_'

* * *

Team Ten wasn't about to be left out.

"InoShikaChou is ready for action!" Ino said, the boys at her side.

"Formation E!" Chouji grinned.

Shikamaru formed a seal. "We didn't even bother competing before, seeing as it wasn't even the Chuunin Exams, but this is a war now!"

Chouji grew to a giant as Shikamaru joined the Akimichi's shadow to his own.

Ino closed her eyes, her hands forming a sign, and locked on to the prescence of twenty-five enemies, placing her hand on the back of Shikamaru's head to transmit this information.

Chouji bounced forward, rolling in a ball, and knocked all enemies in his path flying. Shikamaru held on to the boy with his shadow like a string on a yoyo, Ino as the brains of where to aim.

An attempted surprise attack from the side was instantly foiled.

"Guys, I'm going to get bigger!" Chouji said, "I'll be a lot heavier, but will you be able to handle it?"

"Yeah!" Shikamaru confirmed, "That's still light, actually!"

"_What are you talking about?_" Ino yelled, "_You're just getting competitive, you idiot!_"

* * *

Sai swooped down on the Juubi with a bird made of ink, intent on an aerial strike.

"_I'm a part of Team Seven too, you know!_"

Naruto cried out his name in alarm and Ami, Sakura and Sasuke looked up in suprise.

One of the Juubi clones lobbed a spike at the black-haired boy, and destroyed the bird in a burst of dark splatters. Sai plummeted from the air.

Naruto caught the boy with an arm of Kurama's yellow Chakra, and pulled the boy to safety. "_Sai! You alright?_"

Ami glanced around herself and saw that things were taking a turn for the worse. Their enemies, even the bigger ones, were multiplying. '_This isn't good..._'

Besides a cut on his cheek, Sai was unhurt.

"Naruto, can you still give the others Chakra?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Not right now! I haven't saved enough of Kurama's Chakra!"

"You need to mow down the big ones first and slip close enough to beat its true form." Sai explained. "That's the only way. It isn't close enough to jump at in one go, but there's enough time for us to repel the enemy's attacks and cast some seals... though if you don't have sufficient Chakra, you might suffer severe wounds... and the medics can't make it up front."

As if linked by thought, Naruto, Ami, Sakura and Sasuke all bit their thumbs unanimously.

Sasuke placed his hand on the ground. "Mowing down and slipping past... that's no problem."

Naruto pressed a palm to the dirt. "In addition to jumping and getting closer in one go... I'd have to avoid his attacks, this guy packs a serious punch!"

Sakura's hand was in the dust beside them. "I'm all ready here for healing anyone who gets serious wounds!"

Ami's fingers touched the earth. "Fighting enemies, big or small, this guy has never let me down!"

In four gigantic bursts of smoke, four huge summons appeared.

Naruto had Gamakichi, who had grown considerably since the last time they had seen him, a cigarette in his mouth, already taking after his pipe-loving father.

Sakura's aid was Katsuyu, the white and blue slug of Tsunade herself.

Sasuke's summon was a large, blue snake that none of them had seen before.

Ami had a huge, black catfish that Sora had introduced her to.

All four shinobi moved to the tops of their summon's heads.

* * *

Naruto looked momentarily confused. "Huh? ..._GAMAKICHI?!_"

The frog smirked. "Dad is busy, so I came in his place. Surprised?"

"_No, no,_ I mean... _You got HUGE! I thought Akamaru was fast!_"

"You humans are too slow! By the way, what's the matter?"

"See that huge thing over there?" Naruto asked, pointing at the Juubi, "I need you to get close to it with one jump!"

"There are a lot of huge things. You mean the biggest one?"

* * *

"Sasuke-sama, what do you need?" the unfamiliar serpent asked.

"Just proceed straight on." the Uchiha said confidently, activating his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. "I'll take care of the main body."

* * *

"Sakura-chan, you were finally able to ativate the Byakugou seal!" Katsuyu praised. "Tsunade-sama will definitely-"

Sakura cut her off. "Katsuyu-sama, listen to me. Please split up and attach one part of yourself to everyone in the alliance. We must help them recover!"

* * *

"I didn't think I'd be able to see the Kuchiyose deadlock again!" Minato smiled.

The Sandaime smiled, seeing the influence of his former students on Kakashi's in a brief moment of nostalgia.

The Fourth Hokage's gaze turned on Ami with Namazu, eying her curiously. "I wonder about that other girl on Naruto's team, too. Unusual to have four people. She's been pretty impressive so far."

* * *

The black catfish spoke to the Konno, surprise in his deep voice. "Oh, Ami-chan! It's been a while!"

"Sorry about that, Namazu-sama." the girl said gently, "You're very strong, but I can't go calling you just anywhere."

"Oh, no, I understand. Don't you worry about it. So, what do you need?"

"You see the large group of white creatures up ahead? I need you to help me slash their numbers so that the other soldiers can fight more easily and get to the biggest one behind them."

"Leave it to me."

"Thanks!"

* * *

"_GO!_" Hiruzen ordered.

"_Go, Aoda!_"

"_Jump, Gamakichi!_"

"_Please, Katsuyu-sama!_"

"_Thanks, Namazu-sama!_"

Aoda sprung straight ahead.

Gamakichi leaped into the air.

Katsuyu split into thousands of pieces.

Namazu bounded forwards.

* * *

Sai threw up his arms to shield his face from the dust they kicked up. '_This is the previous Team Seven..._'

Juugo looked on, watching Sasuke in silence.

* * *

Aoda slithered through the fray, his quick, slim body slipping between foes with ease.

* * *

High above in the air, Gamakichi deflected any projectiles the clones aimed at him with his sword.

"Nice, Gamakichi!You got bigger _and_ better!"

"Yeah, no problem!" the frog replied, nonchalant. "Just hurry up and do the seal! I'll jump right on it!"

"Got it!"

* * *

Katsuyu's clones were spreading out across the battlefield, attaching to soldiers everywhere. Many were surprised by the sudden appearance of the creatures, but quickly relaxed when they saw their injuries being mended before their eyes.

Shizune beamed at Sakura's progress. 'She just activated the Byakugou seal, but she can already use Tsunade-sama's remote healing. Sakura, you're a really skilled girl!"

* * *

On Ami's mark, once the boys had passed, Namazu flung the Konno from his head towards their enemies and dove into the earth, burrowing underground to thrash about below the surface. Massive tremors shook the land beneath the army of large clones and brought many to their knees as the catfish tunnelled around just underneath them.

Ami ploughed through the enemies overhead, riding just above the dirt in Kaze Engo both to avoid losing her balance to Namazu's earthquakes and for increased speed. The girl shot forward, propelled by her jutsu, and formed two fifteen metre long blades, one of water and one of wind, that she held out at her sides, slashing their unsteady foes in half.

* * *

In front of Sasuke and Aoda, two clones threw up large, spiked walls.

"Sasuke-sama..." the snake began, but the Uchiha cut him off.

"Just go."

* * *

Naruto formed a Rasenshuriken, coming down towards the Juubi from above.

* * *

Covered in black flame from Susanoo, Sasuke's sword lengthened and sliced through the wall and the clone holding it like soft butter. He raced on through atop Aoda's head, cloaked in the Susanoo and loading its crossbow, taking aim at the Juubi from the side.

* * *

All eyes were on the boys.

Naruto loosed the Rasenshuriken.

Sasuke fired the crossbow.

Sasuke's arrow pierced the centre of Naruto's attack, and the two techniques combined to form a huge, cartwheel of black flame that struck the Juubi's back.

The Ten-Tails gave a deafening roar of agony.

The alliance cheered.

* * *

Tobirama looked on in amazement. "They combined their Chakra together in the same ratio! That's hard even for an experienced duo!"

Minato beamed at the sight. "A shuriken like a windmill and an arrow blacker than polished lacquer! We could call it Shakuton Kourin Shippuu Shikkoku no Ya Zeroshiki! ...nah."

* * *

Naruto smirked as Gamakichi landed next to Sasuke and Aoda.

Sasuke stared at the Ten-Tails with unforgiving eyes. "_Burn it down._" he said, quiet, but clear.

* * *

Sai frowned. "You also heard what Sasuke said."

Juugo looked towards the ANBU Root.

"What's his real goal?" the black-haired boy asked.

Juugo turned his eyes back on Sasuke and Naruto. "...Who knows?"

Sai was silent a moment, then jumped over to Sakura, who stood atop Katsuyu's head.

"Sakura, can I ask you something?"

* * *

"The Bijuu are inside that big thing, too!" Naruto shouted, "When it's weakened enough, put out those black flames! Kurama and I will take out the Bijuu!"

Sasuke kept his eyes locked on the Ten-Tails, his face set. "_No. I'll burn it down._"

Naruto bit his lip, furious at the Uchiha's arrogance. "_HEY! SASUKE!_"

Sasuke ignored the Uzumaki, then started as the Juubi dropped the burning chunk of white flesh from its body. He cursed.

A group of massive clones ran at the boys and their summons.

* * *

"Since I don't know him that well, I can look at him objectively." Sai said, "I can't trust him as a friend. How do you sincerely feel about him, Sakura?"

There was a moment of silence.

"It's okay..." Sakura answered quietly, "Sasuke-kun finally came back... I'm glad he did... and I trust him."

Her words were sincere, but Sai knew the smile she gave him was fake.

* * *

Obito dropped from a warp in space and fell harshly to the ground, coughing blood with a hole in his chest.

Madara, who had been toying wth one of the Shodaime's clones, was covered in the black flames of Susanoo. He spotted Obito supine on the ground and formed a seal, frowning slightly.

Obito roared in pain as dark bars sprung out from within his arm, the right side of his body turning an inky black. He rolled over onto his hands and knees, shaking and sweaty, his face twisted in pain.

Obito's hands formed a seal and he let out a cry of anguish.

"Obito, you're just a spare I prepared so that I could be resurrected." Madara said. "It's time that you repaid me for saving your life all those years ago"

Hashirama knew that Madara was controlling Obito's body. He saw a white substance rising off Madara's body, and realised it to be caused by Rinne Tensei, a forbidden technique. If the jutsu was completed, Madara would come back to life.

"_BOYS!_" Hashirama cried, "_YOU'RE THE CLOSEST! STOP THE PERSON ON TOP OF THE JUUBI, NOW!_"

Leaving Naruto behind to fend off the large clones alone, Sasuke raced for Obito, ignoring Naruto's calls for him to wait.

Hashirama created another six wood bunshin, his limit within the barrier.

Tobirama created two Kage Bunshin, also doing his best.

The Yondaime formed a seal as the Shodaime's clones rushed at Madara.

"Are you preparing to attack me in case you can't get to Obito in time?" Madara asked. "You should know that you can't stop me with simple wood clones."

Obito groaned again, his black hair fading to grey, then white.

Sithering up the Juubi's side, Aoda was gripped by hands that sprouted from the monster's flesh.

"That's enough Aoda, disappear!" Sasuke ordered, leaping from the serpent's head.

"Yes, Sasuke-sama!"

The Uchiha activated his Susanoo midair and took aim at Obito with his crossbow. He fired a fiery, black arrow at Obito, but it was blocked by three black bars, which shot out from the man's arm.

Sasuke cursed, dispelling his Susanoo transformation and running at the man.

Hashirama and Tobirama's clones dashed at Madara, while Naruto rode Gamakichi towards Sasuke and Obito.

Sasuke had nearly reached Obito, but before anyone knew what had happened, the Yondaime was before the man, and slashed his former student wide open from his gut to his shoulder, gore spurting from Obito's flesh.

The black-haired ninja looked at his former teacher and gasped a single word.

"_Sensei..._"

Minato's eyes widened with horror as he realised a terrible truth.

Obito wasn't just responsible for this war.

The sweet young boy who had looked up to him, been his student, and asked him for advice was the same man who had tried to take control of the Kyuubi sixteen years ago, causing the deaths of both the Hokage himself and Kushina, orphaning their son the day he was born, and nearly destroying Konoha.

Dibelieving, Minato asked a question he already knew the answer to.

"_Obito... was it... you?_"

The Uchiha said nothing. He didn't need to. The truth was clear in his face.

This wasn't Obito's first betrayal. It was his second.

* * *

Hashirama and five of his clones stared hard at Madara. "Which one is it?"

Madara smirked at the Shodaime, a wood clone sliced in half laying before him. "That was a failure, but, oh well."

* * *

"_Did they do it?_" a ninja called from the battlefield, looking up at the shinobi beside Obito.

"It's the Yondaime!" a shinobi said, pointing at the blond-haired man.

* * *

"The Hiraishin mark never disappears." Minato said quietly, looking down sadly at the Uchiha, who was sprawled on the ground, face-down and covered in his own blood, on the verge of death. "I never told you that, did I Obito? ...If you were alive, I would have liked you to become Hokage. ...Why did things turn out like this..?"

Sasuke stepped over to Minato and Obito. "It was pretty quick in the end. Now we only have to seal that zombie and the war will be over. We'll take care of this giant too."

"How can you be sure that the war will end?"

Sasuke and Minato looked down in shock at Obito, who smirked up at them as he spoke.

In an instant, the Juubi vanished underneath their feet and the duo found themselves falling through the air. Naruto caught them safely with arms of yellow Chakra and pulled the pair down onto Gamakichi's head beside him.

"_He blocked Madara's attempt at controlling him because this is what he wanted from the start!_" Naruto explained. "_He's become the Juubi's Jinchuuriki!_"

* * *

Down on the battlefield, Ami, Sakura and the other ninja of the alliance looked up in shock at the sudden disappearance of the ten-tails' main body.

"What's going on?! Did they kill it?"

Ami slashed another group of enemies in half, glancing up at where the Juubi had been. 'They can't have killed it. If they had, these clones would have disappeared, right? What's going on?'

"Hinata!" Sakura called, "Were you watching?"

"Y-yes!"

"Can you explain what happened?!"

Ami came over to join the girls, dropping Kaze Engo and halting her attacks for the moment as she listened.

Hinata swallowed. "_The Juubi was... completely absorbed by that person._ The Chakra confirms it."

Sakura's eyes widened. "_Does that mean..._"

Ami's mouth fell open slightly at this news. '_He's become the Juubi's Jinchuuriki?!_' the girl thought, filled with shock and horror. She looked up at Obito.

The entire right side of the Uchiha's body was covered with white scales and five spines stuck out at both his shoulders and lower back. Nine tomoe had appeared in his back, with a large tenth one with a Rinnegan-like pattern above them.

Hashirama formed a seal and a toori came down from the sky, pinning Obito to the ground. More toori followed, each one larger than the last.

To their dismay, this incredible barrier was shattered in seconds.

The soldiers of the alliance looked on in horror as Obito proceeded to grip all four sides of the barrier with hands of Chakra that sprouted from his body, and rip the wall apart.

"_No way!_" Gai gasped, Lee looking up beside him, "_He destroyed the Shiekihyoujin!_"

"_Everyone, be careful! We don't know what that man's going to do now that he's gotten hold of the Juubi's power. He destroyed the barrier!_"

Ami caught a glimpse of the Hokage as they crossed the fray of Juubi clones and moved towards where Obito was. She called out to her summon, not wanting him to get caught up in the crossfire of the fight with the Hokage and Jinchuuriki.

Namazu turned below the surface and made his way towards his summoner and the rest of the alliance, shaking the earth with more and more magnitude as he approached. The soldiers cleared a space for the incoming catfish, and he burst from the surface, wriggling out from his hole in the dirt.

"Thank you, Namazu-sama!" the brunette said, turning to look the dark creature in the eye, "You're not injured, are you?"

"Not at all!" the summon boomed proudly, "I am completely fine! And you, Ami-chan?"

"I'm okay! You did brilliantly, Namazu-sama! Together we were able to take out quite a few of them!"

About a minute later, there was a long series of powerful explosions that threw many large Juubi clones flying up like ragdolls.

Beside them, a ninja cried out in frustration. "_I don't care if it's the Juubi's Jinchuuriki or whatever, the Hokage are fighting! We should go too!_"

"_Don't be rash!_" Darui said quickly.

"_Everyone, don't get close to it yet!_" Hashirama ordered.

* * *

The dust cleared to reveal Obito, unhurt by even the Nidaime's chain reaction of strong explosions.

He hovered above the ground, manipulating a kind of dark matter that seemed to be both liquid and solid at once. The Uchiha sent a flurry of massive shuriken at the Hokage. A small hole opened up in his right hand and a ball of this black substance stretched through the gap, forming a spinning blade. The Juubi's Jinchuuriki moved forwards through his own shuriken, cutting hunks off the projectiles as he moved towards the Hokage. He then moved the dark material back through the hole in his hand and shot out a black pole, which struck the Sandaime in the shoulder. With his left hand, he gripped Hiruzen's head. A second ball of dark energy formed behind this palm, and another hole formed. The Third Hokage's upper half was obliterated by the force of this energy rushing through Obito's hand into his face.

Lying on the ground, the lower half of the Sandaime's body was stitching itself back together.

Obito turned slowly to face the others.

* * *

The rest of the alliance kept their eyes on the Hokage, Naruto, Sasuke and Obito.

"We can't fight yet." Sakura said calmly, "Right now, all we can do is analyze Obito and his fighting style to try and figure out how we should go about attacking him when our chance does arise. Don't lose focus."

'Sakura's right.' Ami thought, silently agreeing with a nod. 'I can't tell what they're saying, but I can see the fight pretty well. I need to learn what I can and help however I can.'

Hashirama's original gritted his teeth. "At this point, I should go too." he said, dashing forwards.

Madara appeared before him, blocking the Senju's way. "_I'm not gonna wait anymore, Hashirama!_"

The Shodaime's brow furrowed even further. He was eager to get to the other Hokage, but Madara wouldn't be quick to beat.

* * *

Rushing through the air at his opponents, Obito's body suddenly swelled to epic proportions, buldging grotesquely. He crashed to the ground, disorientated. The Uchiha had yet to adjust to the power of the Juubi.

Ablaze with yellow Chakra, Minato ran at him, a clone by his side and three-pronged kunai knives in his hand.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Gamakichi lifted, and both the frog and Naruto were thrown into the air. His torso stretched like a snake, Obito had tunneled underground, black matter in his hand, his swollen lower half still lying in the dust and crags of rock. A black spike shot from Obito's hand towards Naruto, still up in the air. Sasuke blocked the attack with a partial Susanoo.

Distracted by the chaos around his son, Minato and his clone were too slow to react to Obito's next attack, when his legs stretched out from the mass of white flesh and kicked out, knocking the Yondaime and his bunshin back.

Still burning with the black fire of Susanoo, Sasuke landed before Obito.

In an instant, both Sasuke and Naruto's faces had been seized by Obito, dark spheres forming behind his hands as he gripped the boys.

Just in time, the Naruto reached out with two arms of Chakra to grab both Sasuke and his father and Minato teleported the boys and himself away to a safer spot near Gamakichi.

Obito's attack hit nothing but air, and his body began to bloat yet again. With great difficulty, the white-haired man rose an arm and fired a black shot from it. It hit far from the boys and Minato, expanded and exploded with a huge amount of power, but only seemed to succeed in injuring Obito himself.

* * *

"Why is he hitting himself?" Ami asked, furrowing her brow.

"He still can't seem to control his body." Hinata explained.

* * *

Obito released a monstrous roar as his unstable body continued to engulf him.

It was a horrifying sound that seemed as though it had come straight out of hell.

Then, from within the chaos that was his own form, Obito stablised. His body returned to a coherent form, and he stood up straight, his appearance having changed yet again.

Two horns, one longer than the other had sprouted from his brow. His white, scaly skin had stretched away from his body to form a horned cape of sorts, and six tomoe sat in a line across his chest. A black monk's staff rested in his hand. Seven black spheres of enery rotated about his head.

He blocked an attack by Minato with a black bar and the Uchiha removed the Yondaime's arm in the scuffle.

Minato appeared back beside the boys, but a black energy ball had been stuck to his wounded shoulder without his noticing. The ball began to glow with a white light, ready to obliterate them all. Sasuke threw up a shield for himself and Naruto using Susanoo as the fourth Hokage reached for the sphere, intent on teleporting away with it.

Instead, the Nidaime appeared, snatching the ball and moving to behind Obito, where it detonated. A second Nidaime, the original, appeared beside the boys and Fourth Hokage.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hashirama and Madara were having their own battle, Madara's Susanoo in full swing, Hashirama riding atop a gargantuan elephant of wood.

"_Don't get in the way, Madara!_"

"_There's no time, but with things like this, I have to do something! I'll keep you a little longer!_"

* * *

The ninja of the Joint Shinobi Army looked on in both amazement and terror, some feeling rather useless at their inability to be of any help, while others simply watched in awe.

"_Wow!_"

"_They're on a whole other level!_"

"_This is how our predecessors used to fight... Amazing!_"

"_Indeed! If we were to intervene, we'd only be in the way!_"

* * *

Out from the crater in the earth rose Obito in a black sphere. The ball cleared away to reveal him inside, unhurt. He had blocked the attack, and quickly.

Sasuke and Naruto rushed at Obito, and Sasuke attempted to ignite the man with Ameterasu. The black fire was put out by rapid spinning of Obito's staff, but the boys were not put off.

Naruto created a Rasenshuriken as Sasuke created Kagutsuchi, black flames of Ameterasu that he held in his hand, and the pair combined their jutsu to form a single technique, a spinning windmill of dark fire and spiralling wind.

Yet again, Tobirama was behind Obito.

Without warning, Minato threw himself in front of the boys and took their attack head on.

With this distraction, Tobirama took his chance and touched Obito on the shoulder. In the blink of an eye, Minato was replaced by Obito and Tobirama, the burning Rasenshuriken driving itself into the Uchiha's chest. Obito and the Nidaime went flying, and Tobirama teleported away, the Jinchuuriki's body burning.

The black flames swelled to a gigantic size.

* * *

Far away, Ami and Sakura jumped at the size of the inferno.

"_Hinata! What about Naruto and Sasuke-kun?_"

"_Are the guys okay?_"

Hinata nodded slowly. "Yes, they're fine. And they look very pleased."

Ami rose a brow in confusion. "Huh? 'Pleased'? What do you mean?"

The Hyuuga blinked slowly. "They're both... _smiling._"

"Smiling?" Sakura queried.

The girls of Team Seven looked at each other, mirrored faces of surprise and confusion, then turned back towards the battle.

Despite herself, Ami grinned.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**As always, constructive criticism is welcome. I was apprehensive about giving Ami a summon. In fact, it was one of the things I had been confident I would not give her. However, with all the others having summons, I figured I had better come up with something. **

**Namazu is based on a mythical giant catfish called Namazu, or sometimes Onamazu, from Japanese mythology. This catfish was said to cause earthquakes by thrashing about in the mud below the islands when not restrained by a stone atop its head, which was held in place by the God Kashima, who once in a while dropped his guard.**

**Ami wouldn't normally be able to use Tsukunaimen on enemies she isn't directly touching, but when she uses the Tri-Elemental Symphony technique, she is able to make her Chakra travel the whole length of her range, rather than the usual few centimetres, as long as it has a medium to move through with great ease. Damp earth wouldn't be enough, it would need to be very soggy ground (mud, bog or marsh) or very wet stone. Snow or ice would also work.**

**P.S. Anyone else feel really sorry for Sai when everyone else was being so awesome and there he is, just getting shot out of the sky? Kishi could have let him do something... :( It was kind of funny, in a sad way. :L**


End file.
